Can Total Quality Management (TQM) improve the performance of school systems in meaningful ways? This paper evaluates the soundness of TQM as an improvement program for education by comparing its philosophy and prescriptions with the mounting theoretical and empirical wisdom on introducing and sustaining large-scale organizational change and more…

Focusing on the appropriate use of prerequisite courses, this document discusses good practices for implementing prerequisites as developed by the Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges. The first section provides an introduction to the use of prerequisites, discussing the need to balance student access and success, as well as state…

A study produced a profile of family literacy in Colorado to provide information on current services and baseline data for evaluating future development. Surveys were sent to 84 adult basic education (ABE) programs, 5 EvenStart programs (a national family-focused program), and 2 programs that were both ABE and EvenStart. Surveys were completed by…

In order to increase the efficiency and quality of performance assessment, the Leon County (Florida) Schools implemented a program in which teachers used the Apple Newton personal digital assistant and newly developed "Learner Profile" software program during 1994-95, in order to take observational and performance-based assessments in…

Following two years of pilot projects, the Beginning Teacher Induction Program (BTIP) was implemented in all twelve anglephone school districts in New Brunswick (Canada) during the 1995-96 school year. The program is sponsored by the Province Department of Education with the support of the New Brunswick Teachers Association and the University of…

The welfare initiative signed into law in August 1996 replaces Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) with Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). The federal responsibility to match state expenditures on cash assistance to low-income families with children has become a fixed block grant to states with requirements that focus on a…

This report examines how Head Start programs have implemented teacher salary increases mandated and funded by the 1990 Head Start Expansion and Quality Improvement Act. It is based on quantitative data found in local grantees' and delegate agencies' reports to the Head Start Bureau on salaries and related questions, as well as qualitative data…

This book offers step-by-step guidance on using needs assessment to design high-quality programs in continuing education. The book begins with a definition and description of needs assessment as part of the process of developing a continuing education program. The first of the book's 10 chapters describes the role of needs assessment in…

This guide for the implementation of educational technology in the Troy (Ohio) City Schools begins with a discussion of the advantages of technology use in schools; the mission statement for the Troy schools; educational technology-related goals for the school district; the educational technology mission statement; and educational technology…

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) conducts a variety of surveys on elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education. Recently an Integrated Sampling Team has been formed to explore the possible gains from a greater integration of these surveys and from new technology. The team will investigate the feasibility and desirability…

This handbook describes the duties of the supervisor of a food service site in the Summer Food Service Program for Children. The responsibilities of the program sponsor are listed. These include handling bills and paperwork, training supervisors, and providing recordkeeping forms to the site supervisor. The responsibilities of the site supervisor…

This document outlines long-range plans for Virginia's Head Start program. The first section provides an introduction to the Head Start program, including a program description and information on eligibility, funding, and children served. Next, Virginia's Head Start program is covered, including a program description and information on…

In 1988, two metropolitan and four country schools (two of which were remote) in Australia received federal grants to implement technology education. This paper presents the outcomes of the six schools' attempts to implement curriculum innovations associated with technology education and interprets those outcomes in the context of a school-based…

The Adult Education for the Homeless (AEH) program was initiated with funds provided through the McKinney Act of 1987. During its first 4 years, the AEH program served over 100,000 homeless adults. In 1991, 34,000 adults participated in AEH programs in 31 states; nearly half were women. Approximately 60% of those served were between the ages of 25…

Findings of a study that examined the role of policy implementation in school reform are presented in this paper. The focus is on a British Columbia policy, the Primary Program, which is intended to reform educational practices through the first 3 years of schooling. During the first phase of data collection, interviews were conducted with 12…