The effectiveness of a decentralized, grass roots approach to innovation, relying on individuals, groups, institutions, and councils, and the problems involved in this approach are discussed. (DE)

Teachers, teacher trainers, pedagogical counselors, and representatives of teachers associations and ministries from ten Council of Europe member states as well as from two non-member states met to evaluate innovation in the schooling of gypsy and traveller children. Considered were the conditions under which innovation emerges, the forms that it…

Outstanding cost-reduction programs implemented at colleges and universities during calendar year 1987 are recognized. Each of the 54 award-winning ideas is described in a paragraph-length program summary. Although some aspects of programs may be unique to a particular institution, creative administrators are challenged to tailor the programs to…

This document sums up the lessons to be learned from 3 years of Ford Foundation's Innovations Awards program activity. The eight programs described herein represent new ways of solving complex problems--from segregated neighborhoods to school dropouts. Each case has unique qualities: the novel idea and the particular circumstances that shaped the…

A number of countries in Asia and the Pacific are moving from a predominantly agricultural economy to industrialization, thus creating different expectations of secondary schools. The forum described provided the opportunity to reach certain consensus on the directions of secondary education; develop alternative objectives of secondary education;…

"Innovation Abstracts" consists of brief, two-page write-ups issued approximately 40 times a year on topics that contribute to staff development. This compilation represents a selection from the 1984 volume of 22 numbers of special interest to community college faculty, administrators, and staff. The numbers selected are; (1) fragments…

Noting that more than 60 million eligible school-aged Asian children are not enrolled in elementary school, this overview of educational provision in the Asian and Pacific region briefly discusses 10 topics. These are (1) the number of children not being educated in the region; (2) universalization of primary education; (3) three dimensions of…

The influence of positivism and post-positivism in public education is critiqued. Post-positivism is identified with the movement extending from T. S. Kuhn (1962, 1970). Logical positivism is discussed as a paradigm based on the philosophy of Enlightenment, the age of reasoning, and the work of A. Compte. The critical theory of society, emerging…

Computer technology has nearly infinite potential for expanding the minds of children. However, at present a great discrepancy exists between what this tool for the mind is capable of doing and what child care centers, schools, and society allow it to do. Two computer-related activities that may be implemented with very young children are (1)…

To address educational reform needs in New York State, the State Education Department developed a research-based Sharing Successful Practices (SSP) Dissemination model. Under SSP, a program successful in meeting one district's needs can be adopted by other districts with similar needs. SSP has four components: validation, demonstration,…

The primary goal of this practicum study was to provide opportunities for Head Start teachers to become knowledgeable of community resources that would encourage their aesthetic awareness and enhance their creative growth. A total of 16 teachers and teacher aides visited a local Dali Museum, a fine arts museum, a planetarium, a historical museum,…

Mini-concerts performed by older elementary school students were given in a kindergarten classroom to fill unscheduled time and to introduce children to musical instruments of the orchestra. Young players presented their instruments, explored their varied sounds, and shared their knowledge that the creation of music requires practice and effort,…

With specific reference to the Aboriginal situation in Australia, and in the context of the Australian federal government's current policy regarding Aboriginal self-management, this document addresses the need for alternatives to traditional Aboriginal training (education) programs and the implications of these alternative programs for the…

The exponential increase in the availability of microcomputers will have a tremendous impact on educational research. Already, the microcomputer has provided the key to the solution of some previously overwhelming methodological problems. It has enabled investigators to conduct exciting new lines of research while creating more general…

A solution to staff development and instructional improvement for rural and small school teachers is through self-initiated and/or self-styled improvement programs using the mental rehearsal strategy. Mental rehearsal is the process of using imagery to practice teaching behavior before actually teaching. If rural educators can be trained to…