Students need far more than traditional academic skills to succeed in school, work and civic life. Decades of discussion about the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors that facilitate success in the information age have produced consensus that students should learn 21st century competencies. However, many schools struggle to meaningfully…

While academic interventions can be implemented in any grade, focusing on interventions in high school is critical because it is often a student's last chance to become ready for the academic demands of postsecondary education and careers. States across the country are implementing large-scale initiatives focused on delivering academic…

While literacy interventions can be implemented in any grade, focusing on interventions in grades 3-8 is critical because it is often the best chance for students identified with earlier reading deficiencies to become ready for the literacy demands of postsecondary education and careers. States in both the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL)…

This contribution aims at informing readers about a current education and training design approach which is based on theory building and practical experience. It is about the development of comprehensive competence-based education, which is different from earlier attempts to develop competence-based education. In many education development…

Even evidence-based instructional methods may not be sufficient for closing achievement gaps. If teachers are not maximizing instructional time, achievement gaps are likely to widen over time; therefore, instruction need not only be effective but efficient as well. The purposes of this article are to (a) provide practitioners with a broad…

Web-based instruction is not a new phenomenon. There are 15-20 years of research and literature to support the effectiveness of web-based instruction. The purpose of this article is to synthesize the research in this field in order to determine which factors are critical to the success of web-based instruction. We created a toolkit to assist…

School-based response to intervention (RTI) teams must gather, organize, chart, and interpret essential instructional information to make effective adjustments to meet the academic needs of struggling learners. Quantified data such as student proficiency scores, rate of progress trends, and achievement gap results provide the foundation for making…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the central role of critical reflection for practitioners. Design/methodology/approach: This joint paper is informed by a practitioner and an academic perspective and is an output from ongoing research. An MA in Strategic HR provides the initial focus. This partnership programme is…

Addresses the need for and success of inservice education for media specialists and the role of media specialists as providers and consumers in this process. Six steps in planning and conducting inservice activities are discussed: (1) needs assessment; (2) objectives; (3) learner analysis; (4) material and activity selection; (5) implementation;…

This description of the man-environment simulation CARIBBEAN FISHERMAN includes its origin in a research article, the simple form of the game, and subsequent modifications or possibilities of modification that have emerged from experience in playing the game. (CMV)

Suggests a set of rules by which organizational managers may regulate or control the rate of instructional development. (JEG)

Describes a cost analysis model and procedures which permit the realignment of costs and outcomes. Full cost v direct costs, alternative approaches, accuracy of the selected approach, and the cost analysis report are also briefly discussed. (Author/JEG)

Identifies some general maxims that shape instructional development activities, describes four major issues that must be addressed when planning and implementing formative evaluation as part of a large development project, and offers some practical procedures to guide overall formative evaluation efforts. (Author)

Discusses the use of educational impact statements and presents a functional process model for change facilitation. A specific example of the adaptation of this process is provided, going through the steps of: preplanning, strategy selection, implementation, and adoption, evaluation, research, and modification, monitoring, and follow-up. (RAO)

Includes a review of the elements of ideal project contracts, some suggestions concerning contract negotiation, and a sample contract from a recent development project. (Author/JEG)