Sixty-six school districts and more than 150 schools in the state of Kansas are participating in the Kansans Can Redesign Project. In this article, we present a case study of using Design Thinking as a systemic process to structure continuous school improvement. The collage of real-life scenarios presented in our case shows the integration of…

To librarians at the Delaware Division of Libraries, Governor Ruth Ann Minner, Secretary of State Harriet Smith Windsor, and Assistant Secretary of State Rick Geisenberger are "the Delaware Dream Team." The governor and her team supported funding for the 2004 statewide effort that resulted in the Delaware Master Plan for Library Services…

This catalog, the fourth edition issued by the U.S. Office of Education, provides current information on the state facilitator projects presently operating in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. It is designed especially for use by state facilitators and developer/demonstrators in the National Diffusion…

This report profiles dissemination activities in 38 states and territories as the activities were described by participants in state or territory discussion groups at the 1978 Dissemination Forum. The profiles represent highlights of the discussions in response to questions concerning forces for change, dissemination programs and resources,…

This issue of the NCEDL Spotlight Series newsletter adds California and Ohio to a re-analysis of findings from an earlier report looking at the move to establish a state pre-kindergarten program for 4-year-olds in Georgia, Illinois, New York, South Carolina, and Texas. Key figures in political and educational circles in these seven states were…

Begun in 1965, the Redlands Christian Migrant Association (RCMA) has focused on the needs of migrant farmworkers and their children. RCMA considers the fields of education, health, and housing as the areas of greatest impact upon migrant children. In its major role as a catalyst, RCMA has worked with various individuals with common objectives of…

The 29th in the National Center for Early Development & Learning's (NCEDL) "Spotlight" series, this report is based on a technical report available online, and summarizes findings of a study analyzing the change strategies used in the development of pre-kindergarten programs for 4-year-olds in the states of Georgia, Illinois, New…

In 2002, Florida voters placed on the ballot through petition and passed a state constitutional amendment mandating universal prekindergarten (UPK) for all 4-year-olds beginning in 2005; it was the nation's first voter-initiated, mandated UPK. This case study examines Florida's successful UPK campaign. The report highlights the leadership of David…

As the need for providing youth with positive, constructive, and supervised after-school opportunities is increasingly recognized, advocates and policymakers face the challenge of funding quality, affordable, accessible youth development programs that meet the needs of working families and enrich learning and social development for youth.…

Author (Kentucky governor) describes new educational reform policy objectives. Emphasizes decentralization and outcome-based educational model. Describes 1989 court mandate for comprehensive school restructuring. Describes state's educational reform process, new goals, procedures, and programs. Examines court's role in education reform process and…

The purpose of the Ministerial Paper No. 6 and Schools Project is to develop strategies and materials for use by individual schools in the state of Victoria, Australia, as they plan and implement curricula consistent with the guidelines in the Victoria Ministry of Education's Ministerial Paper 6. The strategies focus on improving the balance and…

The Pennsylvania School Improvement Program (PSIP) was initiated to develop and demonstrate curriculum improvement strategies in basic skills areas at the local school level in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and several research and development agencies. The PSIP process is a problem-solving method with five major steps:…

The Illinois Social and Emotional Health of Infants, Toddlers and Their Families Committee hosted the Early Childhood Mental Health Regional Summit 2000 in November of 2000. Building on the momentum of the U.S. Surgeon General's first report on mental health, which underscores the importance of early preventive mental health services, this summit…

Smart Start is North Carolina's partnership between state government and local leaders, service providers, and families to better serve children under 6 years of age and their families. This report describes the comprehensive plan to evaluate the state and local goals and objectives of the program, focusing on the components addressing the…

A description is given of the format and function of a projected state-mandated evaluation of the Florida Teacher Education Center (TEC) system, a governance structure which coordinates the design, implementation, and evaluation of inservice teacher education programs in Florida's 67 school districts. The organization, program, and financing of…