The term "peer consultation," like the term "teaching," encompasses many methods and strategies. Some confusion about peer consultation (often called "peer coaching") stems from lack of understanding about how these procedures use peers (fellow teachers) as observers, mentors, coaches, or collaborators. To dispel…

This eight chapters of this special issue introduce the use of a template to specify program components as a new tool for program evaluation. The template articulates the components needed for program delivery and provides a systematic method for assessing program implementation. (SLD)

Site-based management (SBM) gives teachers, principals, and communities a method for directly affecting and improving their schools. This newsletter describes some of the advantages of SBM, which can result in greater accountability for student learning and an increased opportunity for parents, teachers, students, and business. The greatest…

This summary report is one of a series addressing major policy, management, or program issues facing Congress and the administration. The issues identified in this report indicate the need to: reduce the cost and preserve the integrity of higher education student loan and grant programs; enhance the federal role in monitoring lenders, agencies,…

This report addresses the concern that too many youth leave high school without constructive plans for the future. Career planning helps some young people develop a sense of connectedness leading to commitment and follow-through. The Career Information System (CIS) is an interactive, computer-based system helping students explore occupational and…

The 5-14 Development Programme was a major reform encompassing the whole of the curriculum, assessment, national testing and reporting for students aged 5 to 14 years in Scotland. Between 1989 and 1993 national guidelines were developed for five curricular areas--English language, mathematics, environmental studies, expressive arts, and…

The 9 articles of this theme issue stem from a project on alcohol and drug abuse that involved 14 projects, 10 of which began with randomized clinical trials. These papers describe implementation problems associated with experimentation in field research and the focus on ensuring internal validity. (SLD)

In 1987, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2020, the School Improvement and Professional Development Program. Designed to encourage innovation and professional development in a select number of Oregon schools, this act was intended to upgrade educational quality and create models for other state schools. Rather than evaluating program…

Some programs for helping at-risk youth achieve excellent results, while others do not. One reason for program success can be proper management. Mentoring is a promising strategy for helping at-risk youth. Planners who want to create effective mentoring programs should look at the implementation experiences of other youth programs. Evaluations…

Partnerships between schools and businesses are becoming more frequent and more reciprocal as the two find common interests; the Salem-Keizer (Oregon) Public Schools provide a nationally recognized example of such a partnership. Salem's program began in 1981 with a joint school board and Chamber of Commerce policy statement. Despite economic…

Mentoring has a mystique that only good can come from it, that at the worst, mentoring programs will not accomplish all that they could, but the youth served will at least be better for the experience. Both impact and process evaluations are needed to answer questions about the real benefits and any potential adverse effects of mentoring. The…

This report summarizes findings of a study to identify key factors of inclusive education practices, as identified by school districts implementing such practices. The study involved contacting chief state education officers for state-level information and identification of local school districts conducting inclusive education programs and then…

Research findings and examples of inschool suspension programs in Oregon are combined in this bulletin. An introduction defines "at-risk" students as those having behavioral or attendance problems. Unlike traditional out-of-school suspension, alternative programs attempt to keep at-risk students at school. Chapter 1 surveys three…

This document contains 16 issues of the first 5 years of a newsletter encouraging collaborative research and informed policy on welfare reform and focusing on the use of an on-line database of child welfare research projects, as well as research and policy issues related to implementation studies, indicators of well-being, and administrative data.…