This book aims to help parents, community members, and educators find resources, design school options, and take action together to improve small rural schools in ways that meet community and student needs. Chapter 1 discusses the virtues of smallness, outlines basic assumptions about the role and nature of good education, examines the…

This final report describes achievements and activities of the Trans/Team Outreach Project, a Virginia project to replicate a model of inservice training designed to help early childhood intervention teams move toward more family-centered, transdisciplinary service delivery for young children with disabilities and their families. Trans/Team…

The seven essays in this paper were submitted by winners of the CAUSE ELITE (Exemplary Leadership and Information Technology Excellence) Award. The papers reflect leadership and achievement through effective management and use of information resources. Papers include: "More Lessons from the CIO Trail: from Butch Cassidy to City Slicker," (Thomas…

The Committee of Conference report on a Senate bill to promote educational reform is reported in this document. The purposes of the bill, cited as the "Neighborhood Schools Improvement Act," are to: promote achievement of the National Education Goals; measures progress toward these goals; develop national education standards and…

An evaluation was conducted to examine the process by which the Yellowhead School Division in Alberta (Canada) had integrated children with disabilities into regular classrooms, and to describe the current status of that process. A list of 16 steady objectives was developed. The evaluation, which took place from January through June 1991, covered…

This policy brief reports on a study of how families and agencies cope with growing waiting periods for community services for adults who have mental retardation or developmental disabilities (MR/DD). Preliminary information looks at reasons for long waits, characteristics of families waiting for services, and impact of adult members with MR/DD on…

Inclusion, a special education reform strategy, should be refocused to accommodate the needs of children with and without disabilities. Inclusion can transform the status of children with disabilities from second to first class citizens and can eliminate the problem of children who have been misdiagnosed. Inclusion is characterized by a shared…

The November 1994 symposium on adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction and literacy brought together ESL, literacy, and adult education professionals to share perspectives. Two keynote addresses are summarized: "Facing the Facts of Life, Literacy, and Work" (Shirley Brice Heath), which looks at trends in the nature of work…

This report describes the Promoting Success in Zero to Three Services Project, which focused on community-wide efforts in six communities to build systems to provide services for families with infants and toddlers. Part 1 analyzes issues confronted by community stakeholders in their 5-year effort to establish, improve, expand, or maintain services…

It is proposed that Master's in Business Administration (MBA) degree programs integrate Japanese language instruction in order to train business people to be sensitive to cultural differences and capable of operating effectively and comfortably in Japanese environments. The discussion begins by presenting some issues concerning traditional MBA…

This report presents a course of action that California and its higher education campuses could pursue in response to economic conditions that have undercut the quality and equality of the system. California's higher education system is described as being in a state of emergency due to unique features: the staggering increase in its college-age…

A literature survey established that a substantial amount of research has been conducted on the relationship between productivity and the following specific high performance work practices: employee involvement in decision making, compensation linked to firm or worker performance, and training. According to these studies, high performance work…

Using a system that monitors just the process of education does not guarantee positive student outcomes. What education needs is a consistent set of accountability procedures for all students. As educators take steps toward a new and inclusive accountability system, they need to look at: (1) possible alternative approaches to accountability; (2)…

Arguing that the multitude of federal, state and local laws governing the California Community Colleges (CCC) drains the system's capacity to serve students seeking educational opportunity, this paper examines how the state's colleges came to be micro-managed and offers possible solutions. Part I provides a history of laws and structures governing…

The California State Department of Education commissioned the Far West Laboratory to conduct a study to enhance the effectiveness of methods of disseminating educational information in the state. The study began with a pilot written survey of administrators and support staff in a few schools. In-depth telephone interviews with department staff and…