The National Diffusion Network provides a model for the adoption of outstanding educational programs. This second volume of the Final Report on the Evaluation of the National Diffusion Network consists of a series of technical supplements to Volume I, which contains the findings and recommendations. These technical supplements provide details of…

Professional historians and public school personnel must combine efforts to improve the teaching of history in the public schools. Because no more than one-half of all high school graduates enter college, it is important for the public schools to provide quality history education. Recent research by groups such as the National Assessment of…

The purpose of this study of modern communications technology in education is to present a systematic conceptual approach for analyzing instructional technology, to identify research and development priorities in less developed countries, and to formulate 26 high priority projects to be undertaken in the coming years. Chapter I summarizes the…

This document, which is designed to assist managers, trainers, or assessors in work-based provision across the United Kingdom, shares the experiences of five work-based learning providers that sought to improve their initial assessment processes. Section 1 explains the purpose of initial assessment and presents guidelines for evaluating intake…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) examined selected experiences that six government agencies implemented to help empower or involve frontline employees. The agencies reviewed were as follows: the Federal Aviation Administration; the Federal Emergency Management Agency; the Internal Revenue Service; the Office of Personnel Management; and the…

In many school districts, particularly large urban districts, there has been an increase in the number of language minority students and in the linguistic and sociocultural diversity of these students. Historically, programs that served these students tended to operate and be administered separately from the mainstream program. Recent federal…

The Phare Vocational Education and Training (VET) Reform Programme in Romania was evaluated in May-June 1999. According to the two evaluators who conducted intensive visits to 14 pilot and demonstration schools and met with 9 zonal and local development committees and key representatives of Romanian government and educational agencies, the VET…

This paper contributes to an emerging body of literature on school districts as active partners in education reform. Using qualitative methods, it details the first three years of a major districtwide initiative in San Diego City Schools as reformers sought to orient central office bureaucracy around an instructional agenda. This paper both…

These three case studies highlight the implementation and impact of Mid South Middle Start by: (1) contributing toward an in-depth understanding of what it means to be a school implementing Middle Start; (2) describing a holistic portrait of the schools' participation in Mid South Middle Start; and (3) assisting the Academy for Educational…

This final project report describes three related studies that examined reform efforts in a major metropolitan school district. Emphasis was on seven schools that had developed collaborative service approaches to reduce fragmentation of service delivery, increase accountability for students "at risk," and eliminate duplication of services. In…

The four papers in this document are centered around several themes in education reform: (1) the need to reimagine and recreate strategies; (2) the need to approach familiar obstacles innovatively; (3) the need to utilize all available resources; and (4) and the need to engage in this work cooperatively and with courage and vision. In the first…

Higher education governance structures are ineffective and new structures of "prospective governance" are needed for future success. Trends affecting higher education include financial scarcity, lack of government funding juxtaposed with the growing public demand for better services, and the competitive pressures of commercialization and…

This report, which is intended for technical institutions planning to use benchmark processes to facilitate change, contains five benchmarking studies describing future-oriented practices at two-year technical and community colleges that meet the design specifications stated in the report "New Designs for the Two-Year Institution of Higher…

This manual offers strategies on ways to deliver inclusive education to students with mild disabilities. Its format is designed for on-site training, weekend institutes, and summer workshops. An introductory chapter addresses change and school culture, defines students with mild disabilities, and considers the decision-making process. Chapter 2…

POLYTECH High School in Woodside, Delaware, has gone from being among the worst schools in the High Schools That Work (HSTW) network to among the best. Polytech, which is now a full-time technical high school, has improved its programs and outcomes by implementing a series of organizational, curriculum, teaching, guidance, and leadership changes,…