Discusses the process of planning and implementing a barcode project for library serials based on experiences at the University of Arkansas Fayetteville library. Topics include dumb versus smart barcodes, cataloging, classification, application rate of barcode labels, and library staff participation. (Author/LRW)

A committee comprised of six veteran teachers, the principal, and one parent initiated East Lyme (Connecticut) High School's search for a workable school schedule. The alternative-day block schedule featured semester and full-year course formats, 85-minute time blocks, a 45-minute lunch/club/activity period, and a closed campus. A survey found…

The Improving America's Schools Act (the new Title I) is changing the way public school performance is evaluated. The IASA clearly places responsibility for standards and assessments with states. Standards-based assessment assesses students against high, specific standards, determines adequate yearly progress, and demands an accurate…

Describes the planning, implementation, and evaluation of school-based Wellness Centers operated by the Riverside Unified School District in Riverside, CA, as part of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative. Describes the program as planned in terms of the theoretical model for the intervention and the evaluation design, and discusses the…

Describes the Student Endowment Investment Fund (SEIF), a project to give high school students at Dominican High School in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin practical money-management opportunities and to help stimulate their interest in learning about other financial skills. Notes that the objective of the fund is to provide an educational investment…

Describes the program implemented at the University of Texas system that provides real-time compliance status related to all applicable laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures unique to higher education so that compliance risk management becomes an integral part of the everyday activities of all employees. (SLD)

Describes the Diversity Research Initiative (DRI) at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, a project that used the university as the site of inquiry into issues of diversity and invited a diverse group of undergraduates to acquire research skills by participating in this initiative. Explores the problems and successes of the DRI and draws…

Although seriously needing clarification and cleanup, California's charter legislation is demonstrating its capacity as an educational policy power tool. The legislation favors strong elements of the existing system, including dedicated, forward-thinking staff, boards, and union leaders. Weak elements--micromanaging boards, unsupportive central…

A reform initiative's demise is often due not to its ineffectiveness, but to its inability to deliver immediate results. Beginning with a clear vision, educators move through a "ready, fire, aim" sequence that creates "products" along the way. Charting progress can help maintain everyone's faith by distinguishing between long-term and immediate…

Discusses how electronic portfolios show considerable pedagogical, student-outcomes, and program assessment promise but have been plagued by numerous logistical and implementation problems. Describes using an efolios project to solve these problems, enabling students to concentrate on writing rather than on technology and to create an electronic…

Provides a background of government efforts to incorporate telecommunication and computer technologies to improve government performance and enhance citizen access to government information and services. Describes this symposium issue which discusses key issues that affect the success and implementation of electronic government initiatives. (LRW)

Describes the implementation of a version of Sustained Silent Reading (SSR), called the DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) program, throughout their school. Presents their experience with the program in the KWL format (what we KNOW, what we WANTED to know, and what we LEARNED). Provides a bibliography of 12 young adult short stories used in the…

Describes how teachers implement a spelling decoding strategy within a first-grade language arts curriculum. Considers how the investigation of one spelling-decoding instructional strategy was a coming-to-know process that led the authors to value intentional word study that was connected to but not necessarily embedded in authentic contexts. (SG)

Total Quality Management is a system for creating organizationwide participation in planning and implementing a continuous improvement process exceeding customer expectations. It is built on the assumption that 90 percent of problems are a result of process, not employees. Implementation at Oregon State University has nine phases. (MSE)

"Strengthening School Transitions for Students K-13," conceived and sponsored by NASSP and other organizations, was a project helping seven demonstration school districts address student transition problems. This article summarizes program accomplishments, critical transition points, and keys to success and describes each demonstration…