The first step to meeting the fundamental aim of any educational institution is to understand clearly what the students need. Needs assessment is a tool educators can use to help meet this goal. Needs assessment data suggest the basis for plans, strategies, and practices that may ultimately lead to school improvement. This chapter reviews issues…

This paper presents and illustrates some principles for organizational development approaches to improving school climate. It discusses a specific structure for facilitating school improvement entitled Program Development Evaluation, and it illustrates the use of school climate assessments for school diagnosis and the evaluation of improvement…

Discusses the status of environmental education at the primary level in Sudan, reviews the objectives, content, methodology, and evaluation strategies of an environmental education program that was implemented with primary age students. Reports that pupil improvement in scholastic achievement and behavior followed after participation in the…

Educational reform is becoming synonymous with accountability. However, designing an effective accountability system poses serious challenges for states as is clear from the progress and pitfalls experienced by states such as Texas, Kentucky, and California. For example, many states tend to overload their new accountability programs, resulting in…

The purpose of this manual is to provide guidelines for developing and implementing a substitute teacher program for Head Start parents. Designed for Head Start education coordinators, directors, teachers, parent involvement coordinators, policy council members, and parents, the guide offers a step-by-step procedure including a program needs…

Developed for use in New York State elementary school social studies program evaluations, this guide outlines procedures and suggests the design of forms for identifying key questions, gathering and analyzing relevant data, and developing plans for program improvements. It is intended to assess strengths and weaknesses within current programs as a…

Beginning in fall 1982 the Aurora West Public Schools (Illinois) conducted a multi-year study to identify the nature of their instructional programs and to establish a set of position statements that would serve as guides for program review and change. A significant element of the process was the involvement of the entire staff in development of…

The Texas Successful Schools Study profiled the contributions of programs, policies, and school personnel to the academic success of limited English proficient (LEP) students in seven successful elementary schools. This guide shares study information with school administrators to assist them in designing, implementing, and enhancing programs for…

The practice profile is a standardized, systematic, cost-effective tool for summarizing the components and requirements of a program in a manner that permits comparison with other programs or selection of discrete components from various programs. It provides a component checklist, a precise list of implementation requirements, and a system for…

The guide is one section of a resource kit designed to assist Peace Corps language instruction coordinators in countries around the world in understanding the principles underlying second language learning and teaching and in organizing instructional programs. This section addresses design and development of language curricula. An introductory…

This guide is designed to help school staff plan effective summer programs for disadvantaged children by offering an array of ideas for designing exciting and stimulating summer programs and offering important information from research and practice on what makes an effective summer program. If schools are to expect excellence from disadvantaged…

The planning of continuing medical education (CME) for general practitioners in the province of Limburg is outlined, including a survey of practitioners concerning their educational needs, a followup study to an intensive CME course, and an outline of a new curriculum approach. (MSE)

The guide is one section of a resource kit designed to assist Peace Corps language instruction coordinators in countries around the world in understanding the principles underlying second language learning and teaching and in organizing instructional programs. This section focuses on staff development for language teachers. An introductory chapter…

The development of a comprehensive state plan for arts education in Maryland is presented. The introduction states three program development goals and four major conclusions from a needs assessment of the mutual goals of the Maryland State Department of Education and the Maryland Alliance for Arts in Education. The goals include the development…

This report discusses the many issues that need to be considered as states and districts begin to design and implement alternate assessments, which are used for students with severe cognitive delays or multiple disabilities or students who require such significant accommodations that the validity of the test would be compromised. The report…