This proposed study will examine collaborative organizational interactions and the effectiveness of collaborative projects and other joint activities between institutions of higher education and external groups and organizations. The project will use B. Gray's theory delineating three key conditions for collaborative interaction: the degree to…

School organizations must become responsive and flexible to address rapidly changing social, economic, and demographic conditions. Reform attempts to date have not worked because they were layered on old structures and perceptions in a fragmented, piecemeal fashion. The fundamental transformation of education that is required demands a paradigm…

An overview is provided of the curriculum design and implementation process developed and implemented at Eastern College of Applied Arts, Technology and Continuing Education in Newfoundland, Canada. Following introductory comments, the philosophical background to the model is outlined, underscoring its reliance upon the assumption that learning is…

This report highlights recent legislation in Minnesota and California concerning charter schools, schools designed and run by teachers under contract with a public sponsor, and provides a brief overview of the issues involved in the establishment of charter schools as a strategy for improving public schools. In Minnesota, charter school…

Senior, high quality teachers can be retained in inner city schools despite limited resources and difficult conditions. Compared to teachers in suburban and rural school districts, teachers in urban systems often have lower salaries, work under greater bureaucratic constraints, teach more students per day, and lack basic materials. Good,…

This evaluation report describes the Quality Improvement Program Plan for Special Educators (QUIPP) which provides supplemental professional development opportunities for New York City special education professionals and paraprofessionals at the elementary, middle, and intermediate/junior high school levels. The program stresses design of the…

This paper describes the use of a comprehensive participative planning model for colleges and universities that includes processes of environmental scanning, proposed by J. Morrison and others, and key elements of the Objective-Based Assessment, Planning, and Resource Allocation System (OAPRAS) proposed by M. Capoor. The process is explained…

This book, written as an extended letter to teachers, addresses the concerns teachers have for their work with students and reflects on the art of teaching. The letter is developed around 12 chapters: (1) "Toward Large Purposes" places teachers' work in a philosophical as well as a pedagogical and curricular perspective; (2)…

Participatory research began as a reaction to traditional social science research methodology, which tended to make persons into objects of study. It had its beginnings in Tanzania around 1970, when a group of farmers participated in research to assess and solve the problem of losses of grain harvests. The process grew out of the philosophy of…

Factors that contribute to excellence in education, as well as those that have contributed to the failure of change efforts, are the subject of this document. It provides a summary of the literature on reform efforts; effective schools; new organizational perspectives derived from the business sector; organizational restructuring being tested in…

This manual, developed for training Peace Corps volunteers for service in developing countries, explains the process of agricultural extension and provides practical guidance on carrying out an agricultural extension program. The manual is organized into six chapters. The first chapter explains what agricultural extension is and how it is used in…

To compete with other professions for the most able people, teaching needs a career ladder system for elementary and secondary teachers comparable to the peer review model offered in higher education. Such a system should consist of three levels. Following the initial, probationary position on the career ladder, that of beginning instructor, the…

This report examines political conflict in decision making in three public schools, and describes how the Teacher Participation Project (TPP), which was implemented in two of the schools, sought to minimize such conflict by institutionalizing local governance structures for teachers. The report consists of two parts. Part I investigates various…

This report describes the evaluation of the Centers for Independent Living Program, required by the 1984 amendments to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Part B. The evaluation, which assessed the impact of the centers in increasing opportunities for disabled individuals, was based upon data acquired through mail survey of 156 centers funded in…

The effectiveness of an organizations's adaptive behavior depends on the extent to which public relations concerns are considered in goal setting and program planning. The following five open systems propositions, based on a "functional" paradigm, address the complex relationship between public relations and organizational intelligence and do not…