The primary purpose of the District Capacity Assessment (DCA) is to assist school districts to implement effective innovations that benefit students. The "capacity" of a district to facilitate building-level implementation refers to the systems, activities, and resources that are necessary for schools to successfully adopt and sustain…

A Regional Education Agency (REA) functions as a partner with local districts and the State Educational Agency (SEA). REAs provide training, guidance and support intended to enable school districts to operate efficiently and improve their student outcomes. The primary purpose of this Regional Capacity Assessment (RCA) is to assist regional…

The purpose of the District Capacity Assessment (DCA) Technical Manual is to provide background information on the technical adequacy of the DCA (Ward et al., 2015). This current version draws upon a rich history and background of previous work assessing district capacity. Notably, the current version includes significant modifications from…

Traditional school administrative policy often establishes the structure and organization of the school first; from this structure, the program and curriculum then follow. By contrast, a case study is offered of an educational change as support for the reverse sequence, whereby the school program can be the determiner of school organization. (CJH)

This collection of 43 activities represents an initial sampling of the creative efforts that Vermont teachers are currently making to improve the learning environment of their students. The resources are the outcome of a campaign initiated by the regional service teams of the Vermont Department of Education to collect information about promising…

The C.A.S.E. model (Conceptualization, Acquisition, Staff Development, and Evaluation) provides a management model for introducing computers into a preschool program for handicapped children over a period of 4 years. Each of the four model components are described and practical applications provided. (Author/DB)

The goal of IMPACT II is to set up a system whereby teachers who have developed exemplary classroom programs can receive grants and join a network to disseminate their programs to interested teachers. An address is given for sending for information and the IMPACT II Handbook. (Author/DCS)

As educators across the nation launch into frenzied efforts to "do something" in response to the various recommendations of commissions on educational excellence, many are forgetting that knowledge of how to implement change is available. This paper focuses on three concerns that educators must face when fitting general recommendations…

This short 3-page article presents four examples of innovative higher education programs that failed because the ideas were imported from other institutions without understanding the substructures that were needed for success. In the first case study, a Writing Across the Curriculum program was implemented through writing-intensive courses…

The ongoing process of developing new academic programs is slow, and the process by which this gradual reshaping occurs involves all aspects of the institution of higher education. The overlap of innovation in organizations, strategic planning, and program evaluation is important in this development. Administrators, trustees, and faculty members…

Representing Nova University's greatest departure from a traditional educational delivery system, the Master's Program for Child Care Administrators is designed to be completed within a 2-year period without interrupting students' professional responsibilities. Two areas of specialization are provided: administration of day care and preschool…

The Urban Mathematics Collaborative (UMC) Project was a 5-year effort to reform mathematics instruction in urban schools by empowering mathematics teachers. Targeting over 3,000 high school mathematics teachers in collaboratives in 11 urban areas, including San Francisco (California), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), and New Orleans (Louisiana), the…

The Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools' Vocational Education Exemplary Project provided support for the establishment of critical linkages among all vocational delivery systems in the metropolitan Nashville area. The anticipated outcome of the project was an articulation model to ensure that instruction and guidance would allow students to (1)…

The first part of this workbook reviews and advocates articulation between high school cooperative education programs and vocational programs in higher education. It begins by defining some of the most common terms used to describe articulation, such as "tech prep" and "2+2", and for the implementation of articulation…

Off-campus education is an experiential method of learning that integrates a student's classroom studies with on-the-job experiences obtained at an employing organization. Off-campus education programs are based on a partnership among the school, the parents, the student, and the employing organization, with each of the partners sharing the…