This research investigates organizational change in six Canadian universities framed as "prioritization," which is a ranking method using predefined metrics for the comprehensive review and evaluation of academic and administrative programs. Our research found the following: (a) no prioritization process reached the implementation stage;…

This article discusses a public service review and redesign that resulted in a blended service desk combining reference and circulation functions, staffed by nonlibrarians. The redesign implements a number of organizational structures that encourage service excellence, as found in the business literature and in examples of nonlibrary organizations…

Practice and Research Together (PART) is an Ontario-based research utilization initiative, the core function of which is to distil and disseminate practice-relevant research findings to child welfare practitioners. This article addresses (a) the mission and goals of the PART program; (b) the key components of the program design; (c) the conceptual…

This paper discusses the challenge of making large-scale improvements in literacy in schools across an entire education system. Despite growing interest and rhetoric, there are very few examples of sustained, large-scale change efforts around school-age literacy. The paper reviews 2 instances of such efforts, in England and Ontario. After…

Findings from a study that explored the relationship between school restructuring and school leadership are presented in this paper. Specifically, the research examined the processes involved in implementing the Primary Program, the first stage of British Columbia's "Year 2000" plan for the first 4 years of education. A survey of 2,547…

Findings from a study that examined ways in which principals implement new or revised curricula are presented in this paper, which focuses on how personal constructs influence the curriculum implementation process. Data about principals' implementation styles were obtained from interviews with 10 principals and 10 female teachers, inschool…

Over the last 2 decades, education in Ontario, Canada, has undergone several changes, including an increased emphasis on process skills and the learning process itself. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the role of the secondary school department head in the change process, particularly in curriculum implementation, staff…

In contrast to the problems and policies of school boards of the 1950's and 1960's, when school enrollments increased at an unprecedented rate, the problems of school boards in the 1970's became those of retrenchment. Responding to the issues of declining enrollments and fiscal restraints, the Ontario Ministry of Education in 1981 required every…

Prepared by independent evaluators at the request of the Interlake Tribal Division for Schools, this report assesses the status of education in Fairford and makes recommendations for comprehensive educational improvements that would enable the community to regain local control of education. The opening sections describe the present situation,…