As part of its "America 2000" strategy for education reform, the Bush Administration has proposed the authorization of "merit schools" grants to elementary and secondary schools based on their performance. Questions associated with the merit school concept include the treatment of private schools, consideration of schools'…

In 1987, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2020, the School Improvement and Professional Development Program. Designed to encourage innovation and professional development in a select number of Oregon schools, this act was intended to upgrade educational quality and create models for other state schools. Rather than evaluating program…

This paper discusses resources needed by infants and toddlers who are disabled and by their families, with respect to policy implementation of Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The paper emerged from a series of focus group discussions with health professionals in five states. Out of the open-ended discussions emerged…

This review examines issues which need to be addressed in order to increase the effectiveness of institutional management of innovation and change in higher education, and is written primarily from a practical perspective rather than from a theoretical or research viewpoint. The paper is divided into two parts: Part I briefly reviews a number of…

The education of American Indians and Alaska Natives is undertaken predominantly by state controlled and operated public school districts. With 90% of all Native students attending state public schools, significant efforts at improving Native education must focus on state governance and on the issue of change and development as a public school…

This report presents the problems of rural Pennsylvania and proposes solutions to those problems. Because the news media does not systematically report on rural situations, the public lacks awareness concerning the problems in rural Pennsylvania. Rural problems include high unemployment rates, high welfare expenditures, out migration, low…

The aim of this book is to track the historical elements of change in educational policy formation and implementation in relation to the specifics of responses to change, the possibilities of change, and attempts to achieve it. Chapter 1 assess whether the future is in past historical change or is simply illuminated by it. The notion of an…

The significant progress made in the United States' foreign language education system in recent decades is not enough. If the current system is to expand adult foreign language competency and use, both a change of perspective and a new organizational superstructure are necessary to serve those needs more directly, which in turn demands a…

Without proper background, education, guidance, and on-the-job training, a principal can create havoc within the school community. To safeguard against this potential problem, during the 1986-87 school year, the Polk County (Florida) Public Schools introduced a "principal intern" program to fully prepare its future school administrators.…

Given the current need for collegial interaction among teachers, a teacher collegial group (TCG) was designed and implemented as a participatory structure in an elementary school. An interpretive research design was used to: (1) identify interactions occurring among the six participating teachers during TCG meetings; (2) improve the TCG meeting…

This booklet is written for the general reader who wants to understand important trends in vocational education and training. It aims to give the reader an understanding of industry restructuring by answering three key questions: What is industry restructuring? Why restructure? How is industry restructuring achieved? The first part describes…

This report focuses on cost containment problems in Vermont's special education system and makes recommendations for reform. It examines the context of special education in terms of civil rights, advocacy, and individual versus system needs. The question of runaway costs in special education is addressed and supported with data from the fiscal…

The mutual interests identified by participants in this conference on the business community and Hispanic Americans, and suggestions for actions by corporations and individuals to further those interests all fit under three key terms: awareness, access, and inclusion. Participants agreed that awareness of Hispanics' dynamic population growth in…

While educational institutions in rural America present unique characteristics and offer opportunities for administrative excellence, educators have tended to overlook rural resources and the possibility of implementing educational programs in community life, which in turn, would reflect the heritage of rural culture and values. This paper…

The decline of the American railroad is explored to gain a better understanding of the nature and consequences of decline, as well as to assess implications for higher education. The following issues are addressed: changes that occurred in the railroad's environment between the early twentieth century and the present; the kind of adaptation that…