The design and effects of a data-based approach to training school staff in the implementation of innovative programs are discussed. The rationale and design of the Data-Based Staff Development Program, which has been developed to train school staff to implement the programmatic and personnel changes required to effectively establish and maintain…

Six causal-influence diagrams introduce a model showing the difficulties of implementing school improvement policies in such areas as teacher expectations and student behavior. The first diagram deals with basic dynamics of improvement. Cybernetics of activities to correct student achievement are revealed in a second diagram, which portrays…

In this guide, the results and findings of a major survey of magnet schools are organized into a practical manual for school districts to use in planning, developing, and implementing new magnet programs or improving those already in existence. The guide is divided into three sections: (1) key steps in magnet program development (an outline of…

This guidebook describes procedures followed by National Diffusion Network (NDN) certified trainers when they are helping to disseminate information about the NDN or when they are helping school personnel adopt an NDN program or practice. It is noted that, because NDN certified trainers can help in information dissemination and program…

Two international meetings on distance education are summarized in this report. The first, a preparatory seminar on "Staff Development for Distance Education," was held in Berlin to give African participants an opportunity to meet prior to attending the 12th World Conference of the International Council for Correspondence Education…

In accordance with research into what makes schools effective, efforts were made to translate the findings into a school improvement project in the New York City Public Schools. The research isolated five characteristics of schools identified as effective (that is, as demonstrating for 3 years the ability to deliver basic school skills to the full…

Information, materials, and suggestions are offered for providing vocational education for the gifted and talented. Introductory materials include definitions of the gifted, a review of vocational education literature concerning gifted and talented students, and procedures for identifying gifted and talented students. Guidelines are provided both…

The guide, developed by the Secondary Transition and Employment Project (STEP) in Idaho, provides an overview of its sequential vocational curriculum intended to help students with mild, moderate, and severe handicaps to: (1) identify their vocational preferences and aptitudes; (2) use community resources to find out about jobs; (3) observe and…

This publication for technology teachers is developed around a series of questions commonly raised about the integrated approach to teaching technology. Responses have been provided by eight experienced teachers. An introduction explains the integrated approach and provides a schematic drawing showing the principal phases of the program plus the…

This is the French translation for a manual which presents some current, state-of-the-art examples of forestry programs in West Africa. It is based on the collective experiences of foresters and of local farmers and herders. Since many of the problems of reforestation of dry areas are the same worldwide, the text (which focuses on the broad…

This paper illustrates how theoretical research and development of an innovative instructional approach have been successfully integrated with teacher training and classroom implementation. This approach, called "Complex Instruction", was designed to facilitate the development of cognitive, academic, and linguistic functioning of all students in…

This report is designed to assist members of a Program Quality Review (PQR) team in: (1) conducting a review of the effects of an elementary school's curriculum, instructional methodologies, and effectiveness strategies on the students; (2) guiding the development of an action plan; and (3) providing a model for the school's own self-study. The…

The Better Babies Project is attempting to intervene with inner city pregnant women, many of whom are poor, to change their behavior in order to reduce the many behavioral risks associated with delivering a low birthweight infant. The research objective of this intervention is to offer and document the provision of consistent and comprehensive…

Findings of an evaluation of the first 5 years of a longitudinal program designed to enhance children's prosocial development are reported. The program was offered for children in three elmentary schools in a suburban, middle-class district near San Francisco. Three schools in the same district served as a comparison group. Enrollment ranged from…

The document contains the annual reports (1983/84 and 1984/85) of the Austin (Texas) Independent School District's gifted and talented program. Major accomplishments of the first year were reorganization with the implementation of the AIM High program at the elementary level and an honors program at the secondary level; design and implementation…