A rural Vermont school district instituted needed and desired changes during a 3-year improvement effort. A 1982 needs assessment evaluated school performance in seven areas found to exist in effective schools. Change efforts followed three principles: all curriculum and policy changes were done on a district-wide and K-12 basis, teachers were not…

This document outlines an overall plan of action for improving school effectiveness in the Spencerport (New York) school system. This master plan (developed by a leadership planning team consisting of key personnel in the Spencerport system, in cooperation with the Institute of Research on Teaching, College of Education, Michigan State University)…

This guide is intended to serve as a reference tool to individuals responsible for planning and implementing a work force reduction program. The information included in the guide represents a synthesis of practices that have worked for a number of companies, individuals, and communities that have had to cope with a work force reduction. The first…

After reviewing the conceptual bases and practical application of precision teaching, this analysis traces its evolution as the Sacajawea Plan, reports on its implementation in central Oregon school districts, and details the costs and procedures of adoption. Developed by Ogden Lindsley from B. F. Skinner's work in operant conditioning and…

This guide provides an introduction to competency-based employment and training under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). The guide describes in general terms the steps service delivery areas should take to implement competency-based employment and training systems for youth. The content is based on the experiences of practitioners, and it is…

This document consists of the materials presented at a one-day workshop dealing with a new concept in articulation between secondary and postsecondary institutions that involves two years of pretechnology education at the secondary level and two years of training in any one of a number of technical and high-technology fields at the postsecondary…

This guide is intended to stimulate the interest of school administrators and to provide them with the management skills necessary to improve and initiate effective vocational education programs in their communities. It is divided into nine topic areas: introduction, federal legislation, certification, advisory committees, partnerships, promotion,…

To gather longitudinal student achievement data from schools utilizing the four-day week, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) grade equivalent scores were obtained in 1984 from five rural Colorado school districts for four consecutive years--two years prior to and two years following the districts' change to the shortened week. A first analysis…

This study examines local, ongoing inservice practices and programs for school board members in Pennsylvania in order to devise a program that local districts can adapt or adopt in response to their own needs. Following a brief introduction, a summary describes how data for the study were gathered by means of a series of interviews and…

Community education can be characterized as a flexible community process for addressing the community's educational needs; it is designed by local residents to meet local needs. This guide presents an overview of community education and offers some ideas for drafting and passing legislation for community education and beginning and carrying out…

This handbook, designed as a guide for the village level worker, can also serve as a teaching aid and text for teachers of village workers. It is intended for use by personnel in home economics extension, community development, home economics classroom teaching, health education, and other programs involving home and family life. Section I…

Although effective schools research has indicated the need for an added emphasis on increasing student achievement within a satisfying learning climate, the issue of how best to implement this research has been perplexing for both researchers and practitioners. Different approaches are being tried in two rural Saskatchewan school divisions. In…

This guidebook was developed to provide assistance to persons wishing to begin, expand, or promote programs of youth community service. It features examples of what young people already are doing and practical, down-to-earth ideas for designing, organizing, running, promoting, and supporting youth service programs. Special attention is given to…

This resource manual is designed to assist both the beginning cooperative office education (COE) teacher-coordinator in developing a new COE program and the experienced teacher-coordinator in reviewing and upgrading established programs. It can also be used as a resource for administrators. Unit I defines goals, determines the need for a COE…

A project developed and tested articulation and instructional models for an electronics program in secondary schools. Two nontraditional methods of instruction were used: (1) computer-assisted video and (2) video, laboratory, and recitation. Electronic theory was taught at the student's home high school; laboratory exercises were completed at…