Physical education is critical to addressing childhood obesity, yet many school-based programs do not meet established quality standards and teachers are called upon to change. Little is known about how change is initiated and its associated internal and external factors. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate physical education…

This resource was prepared in response to a request for information about the innovations and lessons learned as the result of the investments States have made in transforming their workforce using their Race to the Top -- Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grants. These strategies and accomplishments will be helpful to other States as they…

Scaling of evidence-based practices in education has received extensive discussion but little empirical evaluation. We present here a descriptive summary of the experience from seven states with a history of implementing and scaling School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) over the past decade. Each state has been…

Opened in fall 2009, YOUmedia attracts high schoolaged teens who want a safe and welcoming place to hang out and socialize, as well as those with established or nascent interests in both digital and traditional media. With the guidance of staff and the synergy of peer involvement, participants discover and pursue their interests through both…

This article describes the process of replacing a modest Master's level school leader preparation program with an innovative Ed.D. program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The new doctoral program is intensive, highly selective, intellectually rigorous, and field-based. The authors provide side-by-side comparisons of the difference…

Illinois demonstration centers were established as change agents for the improvement of district programs for gifted children. The purpose of this study is to ascertain what factors operate within a demonstration process to influence visiting school personnel to initiate innovations in their schools. Three instruments were administered and…

Several innovative mini-grant projects in sex fairness in Illinois are detailed. They include teaching eighth-grade students about nontraditional career roles; recruitment of female minority students to agricultural programs; and the organization, development, and presentation of a panel discussion that will inform counselors, educators, and…

A study was conducted to investigate empirically the nature of program development, testing Everett Rogers' model of collective adoption of an innovation against the data, and distinguishing between the developmental patterns of high and low quality programs. Subjects were 34 school districts representing a 10 percent sample of 340 districts…

A network of quality schools has been suggested as a means of achieving excellence in Illinois public schools. Such a program to be effective, must be specific while at the same time addressing the broad and complex needs for education. Also, the proposed network must be built upon the mistakes of the past and must stimulate renewal at the local…

The rising number of individuals returning to communities from prison and jail represents one of the defining issues of time. Individuals reentering society face myriad challenges, not the least of which is securing viable employment; in addition, each individual has a unique set of experiences, needs and resources. This project stems from the…

Seven model family literacy programs in Illinois were monitored for one year to determine successful program components and characteristics and to assist local programs in developing and implementing practical evaluation systems. Six were networking programs each of which involved several agencies, and one program was designed on a center-based…

CONFERENCE REPRESENTATIVES FROM BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY, ORGANIZED LABOR, HIGHER EDUCATION, SECONDARY EDUCATION, THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, AND OTHER GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES TOTALED 160. THEIR OBJECTIVES WERE--(1) TO IDENTIFY NEEDED AREAS OF ATTENTION AND CRITICAL ISSUES FACING VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN ILLINOIS, (2) TO SUGGEST…

The Quality Assistance Plan (QAP) for Vocational Education in Illinois is a state-funded program for locally initiated, developed, implemented, and evaluated projects that was begun in Fiscal Year 1982. Its purpose is to build the capacity, in each educational setting, for the improvement of vocational education programs. That improvement should…

TO REALIZE THE FULL POTENTIAL OF DIAL ACCESS INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS (DAIRS), GREATER AMOUNTS OF CREATIVE PROGRAMED MATERIAL MUST BE PRODUCED AND MADE READILY AVAILABLE TO TEACHERS SO THAT CLASSROOM TIME MAY BE USED MORE CONSTRUCTIVELY, AND TEACHERS MUST CHANGE FROM TEACHER-ORIENTED TO PUPIL-DIRECTED LEARNING ACTIVITIES SO THAT DAIRS CAN…

In 1984, the State Board of Education, Department of Adult, Vocational, and Technical Education (DAVTE), contracted with an outside evaluator to assess the impact of the Illinois Quality Assistance Plan (QAP). (The QAP is a state-funded program for locally initiated, developed, implemented, and evaluated projects that was begun in Fiscal Year…