This paper explores how high schools, through their structures and organizations, may influence their students' decisions about whether to stay in school until graduation or drop out. Traditional explanations for dropout behavior have focused on individual students' social background and academic behaviors. What high schools do to push out or hold…

Numerous studies about mentoring have been conducted, and this paper reviews current studies on mentoring programs from a systems approach. To understand current studies about mentoring, the paper identified three major research questions and reviewed how those questions have been examined in each area: mentoring input, mentoring process, and…

This guidebook is designed to help school leaders think systemically as they examine school improvement issues and make decisions about change. The guidance offered is based on what has been learned from systems theory, research on school improvement, and conversations with a broad array of school leaders. Because schools are complex systems of…

The Family to Family Initiative of the Annie E. Casey Foundation has encouraged states to reconceptualize, redesign, and reconstruct their foster care systems. By 1996, the Foundation had selected and funded five states and six counties in two other states to develop family-centered, neighborhood-based family foster care systems within one or more…

This paper focuses on assisting families who have been damaged by substance abuse and on constructive involvement of families to help all members cope. The four main topics are: (1) "Substance Abuse and Family Systems," including the effects of substance abuse on families and children; (2) "Theories and Approaches to Family…

This brief presents the assumptions underlying the approach taken by the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution, Teachers College, Columbia University, in creating a nonviolent school. It also provides specific program components that schools can implement. The approach is based on the recognition that violence is a function…

A new morphological model based on modern system science and engineering is constructed and proposed for curriculum research and development. A curriculum system is recognized as an engineering system that constitutes three components: clients, resources, and knowledge. Unlike the objective models that are purely rational and neatly sequential in…

This article describes the systematic installation of a career education program on a local or on a regional level. (Author)

Examines a systems approach to school remodeling; provides arguments for changing bidding procedures to eliminate the low bid. (Author/MF)

Stockton State College in New Jersey shows thoughtful planning with respect to ecology and effective use of the systems approach. (Author/MLF)

It is past time to commit money and manpower toward developing a vocational placement and follow-up structure within every school district, involving the teacher, business, industry, and at least one placement specialist. The sole function of the placement specialist would be vocational placement. (DS)

The planning of technical education programs often is a complex and involved process. Some kind of planning system helps serve as an effective method of communicating the purpose, procedure, processes, content, time, and cost to those who need this decision-making information. (Flow charts are included.) (Author)

Fort Wayne Community Schools (Indiana) reduced vandalism costs from $22,450 a year to $550. Buildings are outfitted with a variety of intruder detection devices connected to a central monitoring station. (Author)

An award-winning facility that is a superior expression of the latest in construction techniques -- techniques that are paring away at wastes in construction time and money, while maintaining structural quality. A related article is EA 504 766 (American School and University; v46 n7 Mar '74.) (Author)

A look at the essential steps important for an instructional system to operate effectively. (HB)