The articles in this special issue discuss efforts to improve academic reading outcomes for students and ways to achieve high implementation fidelity of promising strategies. At times the authors discuss if--and how--strong fidelity is associated with strong outcomes and potentially even impacts (the difference between program and control group…

Voices concerns over expansion of writing centers. Suggests that writing centers planning to expand should articulate the basic premises upon which their center was built. Suggests that a program of expansion be accompanied by a careful examination of the center's power structure. Urges all writing center expansion preserve a strong human…

Although Public Law 94-142 (Education for All Handicapped Children Act) raised public awareness of the civil rights of the handicapped, the policy problems that it was intended to solve included more than civil rights issues. In particular, the law did not provide for modifications of its policies in improving public education opportunities for…

To ensure significant improvement in individual and organizational managerial effectiveness, the design and implementation of soft-skill management development programs need to address the six factors leading to change resistance and the five critical elements that contribute to success. These factors and elements are discussed in detail. (CT)

The goal of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing is to improve testing practices, but their impact on practice appears spotty. Self-regulation clearly fails in some instances. The establishment of an external agency to oversee testing practices and adherence to the Standards would face substantial hurdles, and the ambiguity of…

The aim of this paper is to indicate how Project Follow Through can contribute to a better-integrated and rationalized federal programming strategy. The first section identifies areas in which federal programs have consistently succeeded or failed and presents reasons why those outcomes are probably the inevitable results of the policy tools that…

The change process as it affects program implementation is the topic of this paper, which presents an overview of current knowledge about this process, discusses the methodology appropriate to future research on and evaluations of program implementation, and considers several areas in which new knowledge must be developed if the success of future…

A strategic approach for establishing continuous quality improvement (CQI) efforts in vocational special needs education includes defining CQI and building a rationale for its use, establishing a quality council, developing short- and long-range goals, and implementing CQI-related practices and principles. (Author)

Suggests various ways to improve business education: key environment variables that influence the thinking of the authors are specified; selected characteristics of business schools are offered; indirect influences of business schools on other academic units are outlined; difficulties in implementing change in academia are discussed; and…

A retrospective look at the Preservice Teacher Education Project shows both the benefits and shortcomings of the program. Involvement of institutions in this program indicates interest and need for support systems to help facilitate change in teacher education programs. (DF)

The author argues in favor of "educational engineers" being grounded in the philosophies of education to understand the social meanings of the ideas with which they work. The leaders must set for themselves a long, continued study of the techniques that will make the idea operate in the learning situation. (CT)

The author points to the need for more research on inmates' needs in postsecondary education. Studies about prison education programs should be designed to include input from the client population. These studies should be conducted widely on a state-by-state basis, since studies of special populations, such as inmates, have limited…

Identifies underlying paradoxical bases for expansion and replication of early childhood care and education (ECCE) programs. Presents history of ECCE in the United States. Proposes typology of expansion and replication processes, and considers paradoxes associated with replication process. Offers recommendations for funders, policymakers, and…

This document, a transcript of a series of Congressional hearings, considers the reauthorization of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act and the Education of the Handicapped Act. The hearings were designed to assess the effectiveness of existing programs and to seek ways to ensure their continued success in the future. Testimony and prepared reports…

This booklet examines how the concept of the community health worker (a person chosen from the community and trained to function in the community in close relationship with the health care system) is being practiced in various developing countries. It also identifies the major problems and indicates how the contribution of the community health…