Organizational innovation is a difficult process. Most innovations fail. If an innovation fails there is a high probability the organization will be fractured. It is easy to break apart an organization. It is much more difficult to build it back up. This is a case study of an innovation in a branch of a large private English language school in…

Following prolonged discussion, the Austrian government has passed a new University Act which will provide universities with a semiautonomous status. The reform is the most incisive change of the university system for the past 150 years and has been preceded by an equally momentous change in the status of the teaching faculty and staff, all future…

Reflection and professional development are two key practices that characterize an effective teacher and that are frequently overlooked in preservice training (Bowles, 2003; Halen-Faber, 1997; Patrick & Reinhartz, 1999). Reflection can be defined as the type of thinking that serves to challenge notions of prior learning (Halen-Faber, 1997), and…

This paper discusses a framework for education policy, from early childhood through post-secondary education, along with major reform ideas consistent with that framework. We present evidence showing that education is critical to broad-based economic growth. Investments in education yield large returns to both society and the individual.…

The model presented in this document integrates authentic assessment with traditional evaluation practices to create comprehensive assessment systems for elementary and secondary school students. Specifically, the model poses six categories of competencies that enjoy high levels of acceptance and construct validity: (1) knowledge of concepts,…

This five-part essay sets out various achievement goals for higher education institutions and educators. The first paper, "Guidelines in Higher Education," lists the criteria for encouraging broad faculty participation in the decision-making process, improving the quality of human relations, encouraging scholarly pursuits among faculty members,…

The report summarizes five Colorado teacher research projects in teaching students with disabilities. The five projects described demonstrate that teacher initiated classroom based research allows educators to develop innovative approaches to instruction and to analyze their results in an objective way. The following projects are presented: (1)…

This book examines old and new technologies that can be used in distance education and provides cost-benefit comparisons among them. The first chapter of the book summarizes the findings of the next 10 chapters and provides a framework for decision making for all the technologies. The following criteria for choosing educational technology are…

Teachers are responsible for juggling knowledge of where students are and where they need to go; having insights into students' special needs and progress; choices of curricular activities and materials; rules that govern children's participation; expectations from parents and communities; and the norms and rules that govern them as teachers. The…

A 2-year project to specify new designs for the comprehensive high school of the future identified the following important features: (1) a guaranteed set of learner outcomes closely linked to present and future life roles and responsibilities for all students; (2) learning applied to life situations, using authentic assessment; (3) multiple ways…

This paper on multiage classrooms provides first steps toward a systemic understanding of the defining qualities of multiage classrooms and, from teachers' perspectives, the benefits of such classrooms for students, teachers, and parents. The multiage classroom movement in elementary schools is viewed as not just restructuring, but also as the…

This study investigated the methods and effects of introducing a teacher development program aimed at improving student learning across the curriculum at two secondary schools in New Zealand. A particular target was the lowest achieving 30 percent of learners who were identified as "less proficient learners." The teachers were volunteers…

The accomplishments of Theodore "Tug" Andersson (1903-1994) cover four major areas: (1) the teaching of modern languages in general; (2) the foreign languages in the elementary school (FLES) in particular; (3) bilingual education in the United States; and (4) preschool biliteracy. The 11 articles of Andersson's work are as follows: (1)…

This report highlights selected schools and their collaborative efforts in pulling educators, families, and communities together to support a particular school's success and the well-being of its immigrant students. The report documents promising practices, but also places these efforts in broader contexts, both practical and theoretical. These…

A collaboration between Pakistan's Academy of Educational Planning and Management (AEPAM) and the Harvard Institute for International Development under the Basic Research and Implementation in Developing Education Systems (BRIDGES) led to a conference to present findings carried out by Pakistani researchers as well as BRIDGES consultants. The…