Findings of a study that examined the outcomes of longterm institutionalization of school reform are presented in this paper. Project Excellence, implemented in 1984 in a secondary school in Cochrane, Ontario, involved a comprehensive change in curriculum, instruction, and professional roles. An initial evaluation of the program, conducted during…

Comprehensive school health education is a primary prevention strategy for teaching the nation's children and their parents the skills needed for a healthy lifestyle. This publication provides information about the U.S. Department of Education's Comprehensive School Health Education Program (CSHEP) and presents four papers commissioned for the…

Some of the main issues surrounding the operation of mentoring programs for minority youth are outlined and illustrated through the example of the Male Youth Project, a church-based program in Washington, D.C. Screening, orienting, and rewarding mentors are aspects of program operation that are fundamental. Other issues include the youth to mentor…

This paper draws on the experience of various states in its discussion of questions, issues, and decisions that policymakers face as they plan their states' family support initiatives. The discussion is organized into three parts that correspond roughly with the stages of policy formation, program development, and program implementation and…

This training guide is intended as an aid for agencies and professionals in creating interagency efforts to provide comprehensive care to children and youth with serious emotional disorders and their families. It is not a generic concept but a specific approach to providing care. Section I addresses the key assumptions that undergird the model,…

Colorado's Public School Finance Act of 1988 directed all public school districts to implement state goals for improving achievement, graduation, and attendance rates. Districts and individual schools were required to develop accountability committees involving parents, staff, students, and community members in planning and evaluating school and…

Designed for school board members, superintendents, administrators, counselors, and teachers, the paper outlines steps toward the systematic development of a guidance program. Following a rationale and introduction, the paper recommends a specific process for program development: (1) the identification of student needs through formal needs…

This report presents a description and evaluation of the Nature-Computer Camp (NCC), an environmental and computer science program designed for sixth grade students in the District of Columbia public schools. Among the major components of the program were: planning for administration of operating the camp and for instruction in environmental…

The use of a strategic planning model to integrate a computer literacy component into an established general education program is illustrated. Key issues are identified at each planning model stage, which consists of: identifying appropriate goals, writing objectives, developing an action plan, identifying options/alternatives, identifying…

Findings are reported from 25 sites using the Individualized Study by Telecommunications (IST) program, an individualized, multi-media approach involving microcomputers which was designed to bring secondary education to small, isolated rural school districts in Alaska. This document summarizes the development and pilot-testing of the model,…

This document consists of nine papers which discuss the planning and design, implementation and maintenance, and evaluation of magnet schools. They are based on practical experience with magnet schools, which first appeared in the early 1970s. By 1982, the movement had grown to include more than 1,200 schools in 140 urban school districts, and the…

This paper provides a case study of eight magnet schools in Austin, Texas, to illustrate the role of evaluation research in assessing the impact of the magnet school experience on students and parents. After an introduction, the paper describes the history of Austin's magnet schools at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels. Next,…

This paper, based loosely on findings presented in the other papers collected with it in a single volume, discusses general issues in designing magnet schools, focusing on three main themes: (1) the interdependence of program design and recruitment issues; (2) school level practices which help to turn racial desegregation into racial integration;…

This study was conducted in 1988-1989 to examine the current status of drug education in the public schools in Nebraska. The sample consisted of the 215 attendance centers (out of 280 surveyed) which responded to the study questionnaire. This information was sought: (1) the percentage of schools offering drug education as a part of their regular…

In 1987-88 three small, rural elementary schools were demonstration sites for implementation of a computer-managed instructional (CMI) program. The schools were located in Anne Arundel County, Maryland; Palmyra, New Jersey; and northern York County, Pennsylvania. Implementation costs were supported by the school districts, federal grant money, and…