Economic competitiveness is today's most critical issue. Keeping the United States competitive in the world marketplace means the difference between a rising standard of living for everyone and the disappearance of what is taken for granted as a way of life. Developing human capital is the route toward successful competition, as some examples…

Quality circles can be defined as small groups of employees who meet regularly to solve problems and to find ways of improving aspects of their work. Quality circles are based on western ideas, but developed in Japan. Well-established guidelines for quality circles include support from management, clear reasons for the program, support of unions,…

This staff development program offers practices for K-8 educators who wish to be more effective in responding to the needs of all students, including students with mild exceptional educational needs. The program consists of seven 2.5 hour workshops which include short presentations, readings, and large and small group discussions. Effective…

This document describes a curriculum framework to which higher education and adult education institutions can relate in providing assistance for those who are interested in starting small businesses. The report begins by attempting to identify the particular population groups affected by the problem and relating to the opportunities for…

This book looks at the problems of teacher assessment strategies. Focussing on the experience of four school districts that are addressing typical obstacles to initiating significant evaluation efforts, the authors identify the organizational prerequisites and strategies that enable schools to begin and carry out meaningful teacher evaluation…

The status of recent research on staff development and inservice education for teachers, administrators, and other school personnel was reviewed in studies completed between 1977 and 1984. More than 400 articles from 23 professional journals and 507 doctoral dissertations were analyzed. For each study, the research design and procedures, purposes…

In this annotated bibliography of 12 publications on school climate are 3 entries that suggest specific ways to improve the school climate and 1 that outlines leadership techniques for principals. Ways to assess school climate are covered by a review of assessment instruments, a discussion of the measurement issues, a description of major…

This summary of a larger report on the education and training needs of the distributive industry in England is intended to stimulate and assist the further education (FE) system in the provision and marketing of more education/training for the industry. Following a brief background to the project, the structure of, developments in, and major…

This guide is intended to help the correctional educator plan and develop comprehensive vocational and related academic skills programs. Sections I and II introduce the guide and its use. Section III focuses on these program elements: fundings--resource mobilization; coalition building--networking; curriculum--training methods--teaching…

This document contains a suicide management plan developed specifically for colleges. The suicide management plan described includes pre-planning, immediate response to the event, press releases, college staff jobs, college responses (such as memorials or scholarships), interaction with the family, and staff counseling. The plan is presented as a…

Designed for service providers, the manual outlines policy and procedural requirements for implementing P.L. 94-142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act. Following a review of policy requirements for local education agencies (LEAs) and state operated programs (SOPs), supplementary worksheets (which enable administrators to check the…

The purpose of a study was to develop a curriculum for the National 4-H Executive Development Institute. The Extension Committee on Organization and Policy approved five 1-week sessions to be held every 6 months for 2 years. A Delphi panel selected items for a questionnaire used to determine curriculum content. Using a random numbers table, a 50…

This presentation offers a design for developing a long term staff improvement program using the talents available in a small or rural school district with low financial resources, limited personnel time, and difficulty in obtaining outside training. The plan focuses on improving teaching skills through a participatory structure involving peer…

This paper summarizes and analyzes the program of Special Project Grants for public and community libraries in New Mexico. Funding for the program was by the New Mexico State Library through the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Title I from fiscal year 1972 to fiscal year 1981. Information on LSCA and the procedure for obtaining…

The School Improvement Program (SIP) is a project which involves over half of California's public elementary and secondary schools and which emphasizes cooperative planning by schools and communities to improve education. The improvement planning process in each school is undertaken by a School Site Council (SCC), composed of the principal, and…