A growing number of community colleges and four-year universities are seeking to improve student outcomes by redesigning academic programs and student support services following the guided pathways approach. These institutions are mapping out highly structured, educationally coherent program pathways for students to follow by starting with the end…

Many educators agree that we already know how to foster student success, so what is keeping common sense from becoming common practice? The author provides step-by-step guidance for overcoming the barriers to adopting the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and achieving equity and excellence for all students. As an experienced teacher and…

Describes a six-step process for conducting a needs assessment in the schools. The approach is feasible and inexpensive as it allows each school to develop its own instrument. (Author/IRT)

This document is intended to provide school districts with information and ideas to help them develop districtwide philosophies concerning congruent planning, organize for efficient program management, create time for teachers to plan collaboratively for instruction, and develop documentation to monitor student progress. To enlist teacher support…

The process of school self-evaluation outlined here suggests that, as a first step towards providing relevant information to the community, the school study itself. The major aspiration is for teachers to describe and share professional practice with colleagues. (Author/SJL)

From the demise of numerous "New Social Studies" programs initiated 25 years ago have sprung some guidelines for revising curricula and promoting educational change. Some lessons: Avoid too many course offerings, involve teachers in early stages of projects, and design programs to meet major goals. Above all, such programs need to be relevant to…

This guide presents an overview and a set of specific tasks for the development of a local inservice education program for teachers. Accompanying documents describe a generic model for inservice education, a management scheme for developing the inservice program, and a resource guide of examples and exhibits that may prove helpful to those…

Successful in Japan and in American industry, quality circles are a specific way to involve staff members in solving organization problems. A growing number of school administrators are examining this technique to see if it can reduce the costs of education and improve morale. (Author/JM)

Basic characteristics of the more influential curriculum development models in social studies are discussed. For a curriculum development model to be effective, it must provide for extensive teacher involvement. The most successful school practices are those that are school-based and collaborative. (RM)

This paper presents guidelines on the role that Parent Advisory Councils (PACs) can play in implementing projects under Chapter I of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act, which replaces Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as of July, 1982. Under Chapter I, school districts are no longer required to establish PACs that…

This book offers the premise that staff development plans are often based on politically naive assumptions about authority prerogatives. Three sources of authority: the public trust, the bureaucracy, and colleagues, are traced from colonial times through the progressive era. An analysis is given of the forces that have had an impact on educational…

This booklet presents a model for changing an elementary and secondary school curriculum. In the first section, forms and resources are provided for analyzing change at the local level. The second section offers the following step-by-step guidelines for curriculum development: (1) identify components of the existing curriculum; (2) focus on skills…

Ways to promote the experiential learning option at colleges and universities are discussed in this sourcebook for faculty, deans, presidents, and program directors. Learning through experience might involve internships, community service-learning, field studies, cooperative education, cross-cultural programs, and practica. The following concerns…

Principals and superintendents often make decisions about the purchase and allocation of computer hardware and software without consulting individual teachers; however, teacher participation is necessary for successful implementation of all phases of computer programs. Initially, computer literacy training should be made available to both…

An eight-chapter manual describes how to involve school faculty in the development of effective middle schools. The author identifies the components of effective middle school programs and suggests processes for implementing the programs using group and staff development techniques. Chapter 1 discusses staff development programs to train teachers…