Chapter 12 in a volume on school leadership, this chapter cites the work of several authorities concerning problem-solving or decision-making techniques based on the belief that group problem-solving effort is preferable to individual effort. The first technique, force-field analysis, is described as a means of dissecting complex problems into…

Suggestions for early childhood educators on how to provide developmentally appropriate practices and teaching methods are offered. Suggestions concern: (1) making decisions about entrance and placement; (2) evaluating a program's accomplishment of goals; (3) planning and individualizing curriculum and instruction; and (4) promoting appropriate…

Improving the quality of learning is basic to raising academic standards. Research on postsecondary learning improvement has provided a base of practical knowledge to guide faculty and planners. Successful learning improvement programs share two essential characteristics: they are more comprehensive in the range of students' needs met, and they…

Asset mapping involves documenting tangible and intangible resources of a community viewed as a place with assets to be preserved and enhanced, not deficits to be remedied. Kretzmann and McKnight (1993) are credited with developing the concept of asset-based community development (ABCD) that draws on appreciative inquiry; recognition of social…

This paper explores the issue of establishing and evaluating objectives for local career education programs. It presents a perspective on the state of the art based on reviews of the literature. Although it is addressed principally to local program developers and managers, the paper is also aimed at state career education coordinators. After a…

Although the research base on teaching, learning, and effective schools has expanded, the results of that research have been implemented only to a limited degree, either in the classroom or in the training of teachers. One of the accusations that have frequently been made against teacher education is that it does not use a theoretical,…

The literature base on workplace literacy is continuing to develop at an unprecedented pace. As of March 1995, the ERIC database contained over 900 items indexed with the term "workplace literacy." Of those publications, nearly 400 (44%) were added since 1992. The following trends have been observed in the workplace literacy literature since 1992:…

Adult continuing education practitioners in the United States can improve their planning and decision making by developing an understanding of major societal influences on their programs. One way of understanding local influences is to learn about such influences on educational programs for adults in other national settings. This monograph is…

Included in this summary analysis of three journal articles and two documents on teacher evaluation are reports that touch on difficulties facing school officials in developing a teacher evaluation system and suggestions for assessing the strengths and weaknesses of an evaluation system. The first article, by Susan S. Stodolsky, challenges…

Vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies are required partners in the one-stop system mandated by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA). The following features have long characterized VR: the primary goal of integrated competitive employment for persons with disabilities; state flexibility in VR systems, approaches, and structures; case…