Given a choice, most administrators, staff, and students would probably choose food from home over the school offerings. What about those without a choice? Students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch are stuck with school lunches, which are sometimes the most balanced meal they'll get that day. Many others opt for school lunches out of…

Planning in Reverse is an innovative concept designed to make organizations more successful by altering the perspective utilized in the strategy process. What is needed for organizations to thrive in this new environment of change and uncertainty is a short-term approach for long-term viability. In this book, tools and concepts regarding Planning…

The California Postsecondary Education Commission is directed by state law to review and comment on new academic program proposals from the University of California (UC), the California State University (CSU) and the community colleges. Program review is one of the CPEC's primary responsibilities--it coordinates the systems' long-range plans,…

As part of its work to advance the multiple pathways approach to high school education, the James Irvine Foundation engaged the Bridgespan Group to develop a framework for assessing the nature and needs of the fields in which nonprofits operate. These agents of change often struggle to understand how to focus their field-building investments and…

This brief and accompanying Funder's Sustainability Assessment Tool is intended to help foundation leaders address the challenges of sustainability. The brief begins with a framework for thinking about sustainability, introduces an assessment tool funders can use in a variety of ways to support sustainability in their grantmaking, and concludes…

The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) "Long-Range Plan for Fiscal Years 2005-09" (the "Plan") provides an agenda for achieving advancements in applied rehabilitation research that will benefit people with disabilities in the United States. This executive summary describes the purposes and…

This report and update on the five-year plan for the Minneapolis, Minnesota public schools show what is proceeding as originally planned, what has been modified and why, what has been added, and who is responsible for what. A model for planning is followed by a progress report through June 1983, a chart listing each of the 121 action items in the…

Uses the University of North Carolina (Charlotte) to illustrate one method for linking the campus strategic planning process with collection and use of assessment information and annual reporting procedures. Stresses the importance of requiring objectives and goals to be explicitly enunciated and the collection of outcome indicators in a…

A Minimum Objective System representing the critical skills for success in school and community includes: (1) math skills written in behavioral objective format; (2) mastery tests to measure student progress and retention; (3) a management system; and (4) curriculum materials. (JN)

Standard-driven curriculum, evidence of learning through assessment, meaningful performance outcomes, and the growing diversity of student populations are transforming how inclusion is implemented and evaluated. To provide all students with a quality instructional program that meets individual educational needs in the context of political and…

PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) was applied to a federal project developing curriculum materials for the mentally retarded. A 34-step process lattice and PERT chart were useful for long-range planning, supervising the activity, providing accountability, and training new staff members. (Author/DB)

Since the early 1980s we have been engaged in the design, implementation, and evaluation of "cognitive acceleration" programs, which claim to enhance students' general intellectual processing skills. We have published extensive data showing long-term effects of these programs on students? cognitive development and academic achievement. In this…

The efforts to develop a long-range plan for the Wisconsin Alumni Association are described. Steps to take to set up a long-range plan for alumni associations include: needs assessment, volunteer committee to advise staff, situation analysis, alumni census, mission statement, goals, implementing the plan, and evaluation. (MLW)

This report on the international relations activities of the American Library Association (ALA) briefly reviews ALA's policies and accomplishments in the international arena; describes ALA's current international activities and interests; outlines principles and values, which when correlated with current developments and past experience, provide…

Elements of the institutional planning process are outlined and major issues in planning are discussed, including the distinction of process vs. product, the use of models, the importance of building consensus, side effects and pitfalls, and the use of outside consultants. (MSE)