According to a 1994 survey of higher education administrators and state politicians, the following are perceived as the biggest problems facing American higher education in the next millennium: meeting increased demands at a time of decreased resources; increasing or maintaining access; using technology more efficiently; and sharing resources…

The case study described here was conducted as a doctoral research project at Northern Arizona University. The study documents the success of the Shuswop Indian Band of Alkali Lake, British Columbia (Canada), in their 15-year battle with alcoholism, once the people themselves decided on recovery. The study looks back at the 95 percent recovery…

Finding ways to improve the assessment of beginning teachers is part of an effort to assure that fully certified teachers possess the professional knowledge and skills necessary for competence in contemporary classrooms. Research done by the California New Teacher Project (CNTP) suggests that some knowledge and skills cannot be fully learned in…

Project RETAIN (Retention in Education Technical Assistance and Information Network) is a Florida project to assist school districts through identification and dissemination of effective practices that keep students with mild disabilities in school. One part of the project attempted to establish a consensus among experts in the fields of…

This document describes a policy forum convened to consider the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The forum focused on three critical issues: (1) categorical eligibility, (2) initial assessment, and (3) triennial assessment. For the topic of categorical eligibility, comments are summarized in five sections:…

This report assesses student perceptions of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). Individual and focus-group interviews were conducted with approximately 100 students in 6 schools in 3 geographically different school districts across Kentucky. In addition, a brief exit interview was conducted with principals to solicit feedback concerning…

This paper utilizes the concepts of power and change as a framework for describing and analyzing efforts made by an individual teacher to change instructional-grouping and teacher-assignment practices in one Georgia school system. Data were collected through interviews with the individual teacher, administrators, educators, and federal and state…

The paper describes how Concordia College (Minnesota) restructured its teacher education programs, beginning with secondary education, to develop a knowledge base for teacher education. Data from a survey of employers of first year graduates, from a survey of the graduates themselves, and from comments collected from students and the teachers…

This report by Maine's Task Force on Year-Round Education to the State Board of Education explores the feasibility of changing the school calendar--to distribute instructional time over more calendar months in order to enhance student learning. The new schedule could reduce teacher and student absenteeism, limit the loss of learning during summer…

This book provides the steps, methods, and strategies that a team of professional educators successfully used in one school to develop Total Quality Education (TQE). As the final volume in the TQE series, the book is a useful guide for teachers, administrators, and parents in creating the self-renewing school. Seven chapters are based on the…

This background paper examines the current state of higher education finance--the scope of the higher education enterprise, challenges to its funding base, and undesirable consequences of current financing practices--and describes what is meant by a "restructuring" of higher education finance. It demonstrates that the structures and practices…

Business process redesign (BPR) is a multifunctional, interdisciplinary, and strategic business improvement methodology designed to improve service, costs, and quality. This book provides a conceptual framework for institutions of higher education to shape such an improvement effort including examples of BPR activities and tools. Chapter 1…

This guide is the third in a series of guidelines designed to be a framework for positive action at the school site and in the classroom through the High Schools That Work program, an effort to raise the achievement of career-bound students. Its purpose is to help high schools determine where they are in relation to the goals and key practices of…

The recommendations of the National Association of State Boards of Education's Study Group on Special Education focus on: (1) creation of a new belief system and vision that includes all students; (2) encouragement of collaboration between general and special educators to better serve the diverse student population; and (3) breaking the link…

The Council on Diversity in Extension was created as an advisory council for the Cooperative Extension System. The council's first meeting was devoted to providing feedback on a draft document titled "Pathway to Diversity: The Strategic Plan for the Cooperative Extension System's Emphasis on Diversity." This report of the highlights of…