Planning teams trained to facilitate the Institute for Development of Educational Activities, Inc. (IDEA) school improvement program headed pilot programs at nine Oklahoma City schools. This paper summarizes a study examining the program's implementation process, its contribution to participating schools, and benefits for future participants.…

Within an individual building, the School Improvement Process (SIP) provides a focus for staff development and an evaluation of results that are linked to student outcomes. SIP emphasizes a building level, bottom-up planning and decision-making process. This article presents a case study of an individual school's use of SIP. (IAH)

The Delaware experience shows that staff development can be a positive force for change in schools, that principals can be effective facilitators for staff development, and that teacher involvement in training, discussion, and observation will help foster collegiality and acceptance of change. Includes 13 references. (MLH)

Describes Prince George's County Department of Social Services foster home recruitment and retention program. Identifies elements necessary for the success of the program. (RJC)

The article describes the operation of a medically based support system within a school district for programs for children with severe emotional disturbances. Examples are given of the consultation services of a pediatrician and psychiatrist in one district. Six guidelines for establishing such a support system are offered. (DB)

A medical humanities program emphasizing clinically oriented training is described. The four-year required curriculum, in which students accompany attending physicians on rounds, is taught by faculty representing a wide range of medical and non-medical disciplines. The approach is seen to challenge good teachers and evoke humanities themes from…

Describes three strategies for involving faculty members in setting school goals and implementing programs to reach these goals. Offers principals suggestions for developing building-level faculty committees through administrative advisory and instructional improvement councils. Such activities enhance instructional leadership. (MLH)

Suggestions are made for planning and implementing a walking program for a city or town. (JD)

The AAHPERD Physical Fitness Task Force was formed to develop an effective and appropriate health status test for older adults. This article describes the procedures employed by the Task Force to develop and validate the test. (IAH)

The author describes an educational program developed by the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees for chronic traffic offenders. The program helps offenders examine the relationship between their attitudes and their behavior as drivers. Program implementation and results are discussed. (CH)

Describes the development, use, and evaluation of a computer-assisted instruction tutorial for "Introduction to Research," a problem course in the University of California-San Francisco School of Nursing. (JOW)

Describes how "Colorado's Information Literacy Guidelines" were written and implemented and provides suggestions for developing similar guidelines. Discusses drafting parameters, revisions and community participation, final editing and distribution, and three projects that are contributing to successful implementation. (AEF)

Discusses strategies designed to increase the instrumental use of program evaluation findings based on experiences in Australian schools. Highlights include an evaluation plan; awareness of the evaluation; timely reporting techniques; guidelines for implementation of findings; and the role of the evaluator as change agent. (Contains 21…

Describes how two Orlando, Florida, high schools enhanced student success by implementing community-generated restructuring plans. Block scheduling helped improve attendance and grade point averages. Also, a survey of teachers and students disclosed school climate gains in the areas of safety, success, involvement, commitment, interpersonal…

Recounts a principal's experiences at a British Columbia elementary school with control over its own budget. Decentralized administration did not prevent mistakes. At first, administrators and teachers made more errors in judgment than an experienced school business officer would have made. This district's success may be attributed to the…