This position paper presents a discussion of "academic child abuse," defined as the use of practices that cause unnecessary failure of groups of students in foundation skill and knowledge areas. Part 1 articulates the fundamental problems with the decision-making practices of school districts and other agencies charged with teaching children.…

This paper presents a case study that describes the role, scope, and evolution of institutional research (IR) in support of planning and decision making at Minot State University in North Dakota. It describes four specific phases of IR involvement in institutional change at the university, based on a four-tiered planning model that relied on input…

This book seeks to summarize what is known about sources of racial and ethnic prejudice in the United States and to identify ways that individuals and organizations can act to reduce intolerance and discrimination. The volume's 17 chapters are organized into four parts. Part I, "The Changing Policy Context," contains: (1) "Schooling and Social…

It is commonplace for school restructuring proposals to mention the need for support programs and services that will address barriers to students' learning and performance. This paper explores some concerns about prevailing policies that address impediments to learning (including but not limited to school violence and substance abuse). Emphasized…

This document is the product of meetings of the Prime Study Group of the Institute on Rehabilitation Issues, whose mission was to: examine consumer choice and decision making in rehabilitation; review the legislation and consumer movements leading to greater consumer choice; identify the roles and responsibilities of the consumer, the counselor,…

This journal issue highlights examples of state and local child care advocacy strategies that have resulted in positive legislative change or increased funding for low-income child care. Legal constraints on lobbying by nonprofit or public agencies due to limitations imposed by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and public and private funding…

This paper proposes a framework for developing a national rural development policy in Australia. Some common relevant misconceptions are that rural Australia and rural Australians are peripheral to the national economy and the nation's future, that farmers and farming communities are the alpha and omega of rural Australia, and that whatever is…

This paper describes how a vice principal at a rural Kentucky elementary school successfully implemented curriculum changes to meet the learning needs of young children. The change process also addressed the concerns of kindergarten teachers frustrated with the demands of teaching basal reader activities that eliminated explorative play and other…

The relationship between high school restructuring and vocational reform was examined in case studies of two moderately large comprehensive California high schools that have undertaken schoolwide efforts to establish new forms of social organization for teachers' and students' work. Over the 2-year study period, several visits were made to each…

This issue of the Canadian quarterly "Transition", in French and English language versions, examines issues related to the demographic shift Canada will experience as the baby boom generation enters "old age." Major articles in this issue are: (1) "Of Mutual Benefit," which outlines some of the challenges Canada faces…

This packet contains seven research briefs in the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory's (NWREL's) "School Improvement Research Series" for 1995-96. Topical Synthesis #8, "Community-Based Learning: A Foundation for Meaningful Educational Reform" (Thomas R. Owens and Changhua Wang) summarizes lessons that NREL has learned over the past 20…

Curriculum is not a naturally occurring substance but is created, and has a framework that outlines its nature. Many professionals, such as architects, use frameworks or designs in order to define the nature of what they will create. This monograph asserts that curriculum architecture should be debated, changed, and created to take form from the…

The purpose of this book is to explore ways for campuses to maintain morale during the tough times facing higher education in the 1990s. Its message is based on two assumptions: (1) the very process of assessing morale can enhance morale; and (2) there are ways to enhance morale that do not require large infusions of new dollars. Chapters cover…

This report describes repositioning strategies undertaken by Sir Sandford Fleming College, in Ontario, to respond to changing student demographics, educational demands, and reduced funding. Following opening remarks by the college president providing an overview of the strategies and the use of all-staff meetings to generate responses from the…

Recommending organizational structures and strategies to achieve growth in contract training services (CTS) at Ontario's (Canada) Fleming College, this report reviews external conditions and proposes effective college responses. Following an overview of results and a recommended organizational chart, the planning process is reviewed and a…