The National Academy of Education (NAEd) undertook this consensus report on the evaluation and improvement of teacher preparation programs (TPPs). Specifically, this consensus report aims to (1) identify and disseminate best practices for evaluating and improving TPPs to promote teacher effectiveness and student achievement; (2) provide…

In this article, the author writes from the perspective of a community college research practitioner, an institutional researcher whose daily work is intended primarily to affect policies, procedures and understanding of student learning and institutional effectiveness. The audience for this work is composed of faculty, administrators, staff,…

This guide for school improvement uses as its foundation the Concerns-Based Adoption Model which describes the changing feelings of individuals as they learn about, prepare for, use, and refine new practices. Seven linear steps are depicted as they relate to the school improvement process: (1) establishing the school improvement project: (2)…

By interviewing parents and reviewing letters of complaint, Camp Hy-Lake (Tennessee) identified six conditions/outcomes parents expected of a good camp experience. By providing those conditions the camp improved its camper return rate from 60 to 80% in approximately two years and increased camper returns from two to three and a half years. (JHZ)

Principals should help their assistant principals become well-rounded professionals, preparing them to assume higher posts. Such preparation entails hiring with growth potential in mind, formulating individualized on-the-job training programs, and conducting thoughtful evaluation. (MCG)

The Southeastern Regional Vision for Education (SERVE) provides information on re-designing curriculum and instruction in schools, re-defining roles and responsibilities of school staffs, and promoting changes to address the needs of the Southeast's growing and diverse student population. SERVE offers a series of publications entitled "Hot…

Featured are 8 of the 17 exemplary staff development programs selected by the Advisory Panel of the National Center for the Improvement of Learning. Nine of the programs were featured in the February issue. (Author/DCS)

Systemic reform efforts are being widely utilized as a tool in school improvement. In the next decade, math and science are becoming a focus for improvement, as are the issues of privatization and collaboration. Asks school business officials questions to reveal how dedicated to change they are. (KDP)

This paper describes an inservice training project in Colorado funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal of the project is to create a self-sustaining and expanding network of trained leaders in geographic education. The project addresses: (1) the need to improve and expand the geographic literacy of U.S. citizens; (2) the…

Description of a process for solving human performance problems focuses on the analysis phase, which examines information to determine causes and develops recommendations for solving the problems. Techniques used for gathering data are described, criteria for evaluating ideas are listed, and weighted scores for performance improvement ideas are…

This paper identifies critical components of recent organizational quality improvement programs and specifies how applied behavior analysis can contribute to quality technology. Statistical Process Control and Total Quality Management approaches are compared, and behavior analysts are urged to build their research base and market behavior change…

Among the many reasons why college and university costs are rising are factors internal to the institutions which hold down productivity. Most efforts to improve productivity usually fail because they do not introduce new energy or information from the outside. In order to improve productivity, formal, non-quantitative evaluation should include a…

This document contains the tables that are referred to but not included in the research monograph, "Improvement of Secondary Education Through Research: Five Longitudinal Case Studies." The monograph reports on two middle schools, one junior high school, and two senior high schools that were involved in the study project, which included…

Describes how one inner city school involved its teaching staff in developing a plan to improve the learning environment. A "building action plan" was developed to serve as the framework for the school improvement process. (CJH)

This Workshop Leader's Guide contains step-by-step procedures for preparing, organizing, and presenting 1-hour and 3-hour workshops on estimation in mathematics. It was designed to assist Technical Assistance Center staff members and other inservice providers in conducting successful workshops on estimation in mathematics for administrators,…