Current trends indicate that schools are moving toward more inclusive practices and are attempting to educate the majority of students with exceptional needs in the regular education classroom. Restructuring of schools to implement full inclusion will require that school leaders consider six factors that influence change. Creating an atmosphere…

A study of the college curriculum decision-making process examined the generation of options or alternatives considered as part of a general education curriculum revision in the late 1980s at a major church-affiliated university. This process was examined in the framework of the rational-choice model of human behavior. Data were gathered from a…

A staff-needs planning system was developed and tested in a Department of Social Services' Family and Children's Services Unit in a medium-sized county where caseworkers used no established strategy or planning method to facilitate accomplishment of all the job requirements. The goal of the study was to implement a planning system based on each…

This paper examines political maneuvering within academia, the concerns of English as a Second Language (ESL) faculty, and methods that faculty can use to overcome campus politics and address their concerns. ESL faculty are often concerned about: (1) the lack of support from mainstream college faculty; (2) too many part-time positions; (3)…

This newsletter issue focuses on strategies for program workers to help enhance family support. The newsletter includes the following articles: (1) "'But What Should I Way?': Five Principles To Help Families Deal with Television"; (2) "Shaping the Future--How to Build Partnerships with Local Community Foundations"; (3)…

The concept of school culture offers principals and other leaders a broader framework for understanding problems and relationships within the school. School culture can be defined as the historically transmitted patterns of meaning that include the norms, values, beliefs, and myths understood by members of the school community. Researchers have…

Schools must change to meet the demands of an increasingly diverse population of children, many of whom are at risk of leaving school unprepared for a productive adult life. Research-based evidence indicates that the process of change has been a neglected area in policy implementation. The key factor is "facilitative leadership,"…

This paper examines issues related to the screening and assessment of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities or at risk for disabilities, from families of various cultural and linguistic backgrounds. An introductory section outlines issues of cultural and linguistic competence and provides definitions of key terms. Interviews are…

The process of change and the resistance to change experienced by teachers and students during implementation of a new instructional approach is examined. The specific situation described is implementation of a process-oriented approach to writing in English as a Second Language, as experienced by eight Hong Kong secondary school teachers and…

This report provides a record of discussion during a workshop entitled "Assisting People with Developmental Disabilities To Speak Effectively for Themselves." Participants included developmentally disabled individuals, leaders from self-advocacy groups, paid staff, and volunteers. The discussion addressed three questions: (1) what works…

Technical Preparation (Tech Prep) programs include basic skills and competencies to improve students' school-to-work transition. The following elements characterize Tech Prep: designed for grades 9-14, leading to an technical associate degree; parallels college preparatory program; offers technical program of study in business enterprise,…

Family involvement in schools will work only when perceived as an enlarged concept focusing on all children, including those from at-risk families. Each publication reviewed here is specifically concerned with family involvement strategies concerned with all children or targeted at primarily high risk students. Susan McAllister Swap looks at three…

Despite current interest with the concept of the "New American School" model discussed in "America 2000," school systems continue to approach educational reform and restructuring by tinkering with key organizational components in isolation. The total school organization requires assessment and profiling to determine which key components are drags…

Democratization of education refers to a process that allows decision-making based on alternatives, guided by the conviction that equity, equality, solidarity, freedom and justice are the essential universal values of mankind. This study examines these criteria in the context of reform strategies in the areas of educational planning and practice.…

To provide an opportunity to evaluate and interpret change, explore new approaches to change and realize educational renewal within the reality of effective management, the Whitman Corporation, in cooperation with Saint Xavier College (Illinois), held a conference consisting of panel presentations by and for principals. Five panels addressed a…