The primary purpose of the District Capacity Assessment (DCA) is to assist school districts to implement effective innovations that benefit students. The "capacity" of a district to facilitate building-level implementation refers to the systems, activities, and resources that are necessary for schools to successfully adopt and sustain…

A Regional Education Agency (REA) functions as a partner with local districts and the State Educational Agency (SEA). REAs provide training, guidance and support intended to enable school districts to operate efficiently and improve their student outcomes. The primary purpose of this Regional Capacity Assessment (RCA) is to assist regional…

The purpose of the District Capacity Assessment (DCA) Technical Manual is to provide background information on the technical adequacy of the DCA (Ward et al., 2015). This current version draws upon a rich history and background of previous work assessing district capacity. Notably, the current version includes significant modifications from…

The Comprehensive Program is the primary grant component of the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). The Comprehensive Program supports innovative educational improvement projects that respond to problems of national significance. Proposals may be submitted by a variety of institutions and…

The study recorded the origin, development, and implementation of the physical facilities, organizational structure, and program of Chamisa Elementary School, Los Alamos, New Mexico. Recommendations made pertain to administrative and public support, physical facilities, faculty selection, innovating on a limited scale, curriculum development, team…

Offers educational practitioners direction for the development of a master plan for the implementation and application of computer-based educational technology by briefly examining computers in education, discussing organizational change from a theoretical perspective, and presenting an overview of the planning strategy known as the planning and…

Suggests guidelines for establishing a secondary school experiential program in the areas of assessing school and student needs, setting goals and devising plans to meet the goals, planning for necessary resources (time, energy, finances, supplies), and selling the program to administrators and teachers. (NEC)

Identifies ingredients necessary for successfully developing programs which use innovative modes to achieve progressive institutional goals. Outlines the process of program development (i.e., identify target group; conduct needs assessment; develop knowledge base; examine limitations; review existing delivery systems; and design, field-test, and…

Suggests the field of education has paid little attention to complexities involved in large-scale replication of curricular changes and other new directions for school-based interventions, which has contributed to the failure of many reforms. Highlights a framework of general phases and specific steps for diffusion of major new approaches across a…

Three phases of any change effort include initiation, implementation, and continuation. This seventh guidebook in a series of nine video conferences addresses later stages of implementation and continuation (initiation and early stages of implementation are discussed in the sixth guidebook.) In the guidebook are definitions of the three phases of…

Full institutionalization of experiential learning programs remains a major challenge for educators. Their reasons for resistance to change and strategies for overcoming it are discussed. A checklist for change agents is provided. (MLW)

This collection of 43 activities represents an initial sampling of the creative efforts that Vermont teachers are currently making to improve the learning environment of their students. The resources are the outcome of a campaign initiated by the regional service teams of the Vermont Department of Education to collect information about promising…

Drawing from a literature review and survey of community colleges with honors programs, this paper presents a series of recommended strategies and tactics for the establishment and continuation of community college honors programs. The recommendations are structured around the five developmental stages of academic innovation identified by S. V.…

The innovators of a functional level testing program must make decisions in the context of situational factors. There are several decision points involving the important elements of a testing program. Establishing the need for functional level testing is the first decision to be made. A systematic examination of in-level test data will document…

Project CHIME (Children with Hearing Impairments in Mainstreamed Environments) was created to develop and implement strategies that promote effective mainstreaming of preschool hearing-impaired children, aged 2-5. This guide reviews issues that should be addressed before beginning a mainstreamed program, such as: funding; advance planning;…