This newsletter provides examples from four small, rural school districts of how innovative superintendents plan and provide resources and provide staff development, which are two of the six ways that school administrators effect change. The superintendents are located in a small poor district in the Arkansas Mississippi Delta region, a primarily…

This collaborative action research project focused on the educational practice of a voluntary sector playgroup (preschool) in the United Kingdom. It utilized the Quality Evaluation and Development (QED) model to conduct an evaluation phase, action plan phase, development phase, and a reflection phase over the course of the 1994-95 school year. The…

The National Coalition of Girls' Schools is an organization of over 80 girls' boarding and day, private and public schools from across the United States with affiliates in Canada and Australia. Coalition members share a commitment to the values and advantages of an all-girls school. To that end, the organization has collected and conducted…

Although teachers play central roles in education, traditionally, teachers have not had a major voice in educational change. The teacher is often viewed as a passive receiver of a change product or as a reactor to change. In more recent literature, however, more attention has been given to the personal nature of change and the relations between…

Significant curricular change extends into most other facets of schooling, including teaching, learning, and the school culture. This document reports findings of the Curriculum Reform Project, which conducted case studies of educational reforms in nine middle and senior high schools across the United States; prepared a cross-site analysis of the…

Education reform is an ongoing process that requires a major commitment over a long period of time. This volume, the second in a series of three, presents case-study findings of a 4-year research project on curriculum reform, with a focus on science education, mathematics education, and higher order thinking across the disciplines. The study, the…

The Commission on Higher Education conducted a survey in 1995 of 495 member institutions of higher education, most in the Mid-Atlantic region, to determine their progress with outcomes assessment. Sixty-eight percent of the institutions responded, disclosing that: (1) more than half do not have an institution-wide plan for outcomes assessment…

This book provides teachers with a rationale and specific suggestions for building trusting relationships with students. For teacher educators, it provides a conceptual framework for teachers' nurturing behavior. It discusses skills, knowledge, and sensitivities necessary to make healthy teacher-student connections and provides curriculum…

With respect to the educational attainment of students and skill levels of the labor force, America cannot compete well on an international stage. Comparative international examinations reveal that American students know less than their counterparts in other advanced industrial countries. To help improve students' skill and educational levels, the…

This feature issue on inclusion and school restructuring for students with and without disabilities contains the following articles: (1) "The 7 Habits for Educators" (Terri Vandercook); (2) "The Evolution of Inclusive Education" (Jennifer York-Barr and Terri Vandercook); (3) "Creating Inclusive Schools: What Does the…

This article grew out of a roundtable of national leaders in higher education which explored the role of the academic department in serving as both a force for institutional change and a link to the scholarly world of disciplinary knowledge and practice. The essay argues that the principal threat to the academy is its own fragmentation, with…

This paper analyzes an institutional change in a large, Turkish public university, the Middle East Technical University (METU), by using an anomaly-based organizational change model. The model explains change as an organizational response to anomalies caused by internal and external organizational conditions. The study used a qualitative case…

In response to decreased levels of funding and declining enrollments, increased competition, and major technological advances, Allegany Community College, in Maryland, has developed a model for managing organizational change. The model incorporates the following four components for effective transition and change: conceptualization; communication;…

After over 20 years with the same senior administration, Floyd College, a two-year college connected to the University of Georgia, underwent a change of leadership. As a result, the college climate, as well as its organizational procedures, have radically changed. In the past, decisions on promotion and tenure started from top management. Now,…

Attempts to enhance students' appreciation for the scientific nature of psychology typically focus on training in scientific reasoning and methodology along with direct involvement in research activities. The underlying assumption appears to be that given sufficient knowledge and experience, students' perceptions of the discipline will change as…