A strategic plan for public higher education in Oregon is presented. The state system mission and missions for eight institutions included in the system are articulated. Topics covered in an overview of the state system include the student population, degree and extension service programs, program quality, and research grants/contracts. Six main…

An important first step in addressing the issue of obtaining a better fit between unemployment insurance (UI) and retraining was taken in 1970 when the federal government enacted a provision permitting workers to enroll in training without denial of benefits due to application of the work test. Little was done, however, to pursue state compliance…

The members of this task force adopted a broad approach to readiness so that issues relating to at-risk children and youth between the preschool years and graduation might be addressed. Two papers are presented: (1) "Readiness for the New Educational Standards" (Jean G. McDonald); and (2) "State Policy for At-Risk Children:…

The members of this task force examined ways states could encourage greater parental involvement in, and choice among, public schools. Following a list of the charges to the task force and information on the hearings and presenters, five papers are presented: (1) "Expanding Educational Opportunity and Choice" (Cindy K. Currence); (2)…

Effective leaders operate with three different styles: manager-as-technician, manager-as-conductor, and manager-as-developer. The first two work well if the manager remains a hero, but this heroic style diminishes the subordinates' own capabilities and confidence and is counterproductive to change. The post-heroic manager, or manager-as-developer,…

Ten years of intensive research and development in foreign language teaching in Finland have resulted in a foreign language curriculum with a communicative orientation and textbooks to accompany it. Another outcome of this work was a realization of the complexity of language teaching, which led to models of the language teaching process. One such…

The functional and organizational activities of the Cooperative Extension Service in the United States can be an appropriate means for providing a new image and concept to the kind of extension service that is needed in developing nations and Sri Lanka in particular. The problems of the extension program in developing nations are inherited and…

The results of a case study in an elementary school indicate that parents can effectively support school improvement efforts even in schools with characteristics identified in previous research as inimical to change. Administrators, teachers, and parents were interviewed about the impact of a five-part plan developed by the school's parent teacher…

Two myths often surround discussions of literacy in the United States: (1) that the current school reform movement benefits minority students; and (2) that a technological and information age has emerged that requires new, higher literacy levels. Neither is accurate, for there is no economic imperative for the improvement of literacy, only an…

The School Crime and Misbehavior Project, conducted under the auspices of the National Alliance for Safe schools and the National Institute of Justice, was aimed at providing school districts with a system to reduce crime and the fear of crime in the schools. The Duval County (Florida) Public Schools implemented the 2-year program as a pilot…

Three separate studies of three different school superintendents are reported on in terms of the effect of leadership styles on organizational cultures. The analysis used nine descriptors derived from Schein's comprehensive description of leadership in the conduct of organizational culture creation. The report is based on historical and…

Many strategy options are open to state education agencies interested in developing statewide programs to support and guide local school improvement efforts. Agencies can focus on instructional improvement, more general school improvement, improvement of the curricular program, or changes in educational structures. Factors influencing which of…

A survey of 196 elementary and secondary education teachers attending graduate programs in the University of Central Florida's College of Education provided data supporting previous research on teacher isolation. Over 80 percent of the teachers felt their classrooms were private worlds entered only by themselves and their students. The teachers…

Over 1,200 references are cited in this bibliography of literature representing two major areas of citizen participation: community organizing and grassroots participation. Materials, most of which were published between 1970 and the present, deal mainly with local citizen activism that operates both inside and outside normal government channels.…

Four critical time periods offer a sense of where the Effective Schools Movement has been, and where it appears to be headed. The period of 1966 to 1976 marked the beginning of descriptive studies of individual effective schools. During the period of 1976 to 1980 a new coalition was formed between many of the Effective Schools researchers and…