Business process redesign (BPR) is a multifunctional, interdisciplinary, and strategic business improvement methodology designed to improve service, costs, and quality. This book provides a conceptual framework for institutions of higher education to shape such an improvement effort including examples of BPR activities and tools. Chapter 1…

At Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) in Massachusetts, the Learning Center is the heart of the college's instructional program. The Center houses programs for credit at all academic levels, including some classroom work for 40% of the faculty. The Center is a delivery system for individualized, personalized curriculum at both remedial and…

A survey of various reform efforts was made to clarify the similarities and differences between them and efforts to integrate vocational and academic education. The survey revealed four distinct approaches to school reforms: (1) teacher professionalization; (2) curricular and teaching reform; (3) schools of choice; and (4) restructuring. According…

A survey was conducted of all Webster University (Missouri) Extended Campus site directors (N=37) addressing the duties they associated with support staff positions at their sites. The directors were asked to assign relative importance in the duty rankings they listed and to show the job titles used for the positions at their sites. The 16…

Inclusion is the practice of educating children who have disabilities in classes together with their peers who do not have disabilities. This packet on "least intervention" contains resource materials that help ensure appropriate inclusion. The first section of this packet contains discussions of appropriate inclusion and a description of the…

Citing issues of professional qualifications and reward systems that the field of early childhood education must resolve as preschool programs become part of the public schools, this paper argues for adopting a dynamic career ladder model of program staffing. The dynamic model assumes a mix of staffing in early childhood programs wherever they are…

This paper introduces the concept of assistive financing for assistive devices for persons with disabilities, and describes model programs that have pioneered implementation of the concept in the assistive device marketplace. The assistive financing or loan guarantee concept is presented as a partnership between a private financial institution and…

This theme issue covers "High School Programming" and approaches to meeting the needs of gifted high school students in Texas. The first article is "Thematic Interdisciplinary Curricula for Secondary Gifted Students in English and Social Studies" (Joel E. McIntosh and April W. Meacham). This approach is contrasted with the…

This paper examines transition from school to post-school activities for students with chronic illness and disabilities, with reference to: four legislative acts that impact transition services, seven legislated implementation mechanisms, seven outcomes areas, and a social system for evaluating services to transitioning youth. Transition…

How an elementary school (pseudonym, Sunny Days Elementary School) initiated school restructuring using the School Restructuring Process Model developed by Charles Reigeluth was studied, using formative evaluation to see how the actual experiences of the school might refine and improve the model. The model follows a three-phase process from…

Concentrating on the adoption and implementation of educational technology, this paper outlines and compares the conceptual definitions of educational technology (ET) and information systems (IS). Adoption and implementation models and frameworks are discussed, and similarities and differences between IS adoption and implementation and educational…

The Triad Perspective Model of Distance Education (TPMDE) guides researchers in developing research questions, gathering data, and producing a comprehensive description of a distance education program. It was developed around three theoretical perspectives: (1) curriculum development theory (Tyler's four questions, 1949); (2) systems theory…

The articulation model presented in this handbook was developed by Santa Fe Community College as part of an articulation project conducted jointly with the Santa Fe Public School District in 1990-91. The purpose of the model is to provide guidelines for the development of articulation agreements between various secondary and post-secondary…

The purpose of this paper is to give those who work in distance education a better awareness of the factors at work in developing nations and to help those whose profession is national development gain a fuller understanding of distance education. It begins with a discussion of the process of national development which focuses on the factors that…

Renne (Oregon) Intermediate School offers an innovative program of personalized instruction to students in grades 6-8. Teachers work closely with individual students, following a continuous progress curriculum which allows cross-grade-level placement in the core areas of math, reading, and language arts. Based on cooperative district planning, the…