Investigates the role of professional development in the implementation of computer technologies in Canadian schools. Examines three examples of professional development; identifies issues encountered when teachers participate in large- and small-scale professional development programs; and suggests key elements that should be considered when…

A survey of 851 New Zealand teachers (64% response) implementing the technology curriculum found they were satisfied with the usefulness of the curriculum statement to guide planning and assessment. Nearly three-quarters received professional development to prepare them for teaching technology. (JOW)

Responses from 35 of 52 state tech prep coordinators indicated that 77% had evaluation plans; 68.6% had mechanisms for identifying tech prep students. Most frequent evaluation components were articulation, staff development, curriculum, and marketing. Most used evaluation criteria were job placement, postsecondary enrollment, graduation rate, and…

Discusses a study that began the process of developing a curriculum for a two-year degree in safety. Reports that two groups of safety professionals ranked the importance of content areas that might be included in the degree program--communication skills, safety management skills, and regulatory compliance were found to have the highest mean…

Locates the success or failure of language revitalization programs in a framework of solidarity and power. Focuses on the implementation of the language revitalization program within language-in-education planning. (Author/VWL)

Reports on the design and implementation of a project-based learning environment for a graduate seminar that immersed students in a real-world context. This seminar experience was organized around the design and creation of a real-world "tangible artifact", the Internet Learning Forum (ILF), and embodied many of the design principles for…

A cooperative education program involved student practica in Quebec pulp and paper mills. Using the concept of community of practice and a typology of work experience, data from 175 students indicated that schools and workplaces placed traditional roles regarding theory and practice. Organizational cultures remained separate and opportunities for…

Identified key elements of the "theory of action" embodied in reconstitution reforms and examined them in light of findings from a 2-year study in 3 schools. Evidence suggests that the theory of action in such reforms may be seriously flawed, as dominant patterns of implementation ran counter to the major premises of the policy. (SLD)

Integrates literature that addresses implementation approaches and phases with media selection research to provide a descriptive framework for understanding and predicting media use during planned change implementation. Concludes by synthesizing the findings that emerge from the integration of these bodies of literature and describing implications…

A literature review classified four streams on total quality management (TQM) in education: (1) definition and measurement; (2) normative studies; (3) conceptual models; and (4) implementation and assessment. Phases of TQM implementation were identified: awareness and commitment, planning, program implementation, and evaluation; future directions…

Examines the limits of what constitutes "school improvement." Critically assesses whether large-scale reorganization initiatives in two (British) local education agencies embody elements of a school-improvement initiative. Policy makers could maximize such initiatives' potential by incorporating a school-improvement focus into their…

Study of the implementation of management National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) in three British organizations identified problems with the competency-based format. Although NVQs are supposedly based on actual workplace practice, candidates work toward criteria that may not match roles and responsibilities and developmental work is…

Explores aspects of implementing an elementary professional development school (PDS) with a faculty of 80 teachers over a 1-year period. Findings of this ethnographic case study report the visions of teachers in this PDS, the processes that impacted the sharing of teachers' visions, and the PDS efforts that encouraged teachers to explicate and…

A survey of 145 schools found that all had experimented with innovative purchasing approaches. Many used electronic methods, such as credit-card, fast-track requisition (most popular), bidding and purchasing, and data interchange. Results suggest that nonelectronic innovations (just-in-time, cooperative, direct, and consortium leverage purchasing)…

A key task for individual student affairs offices is to demonstrate the impact services have on the academic mission of the university. Article describes the process that one student affairs office followed to implement a system of program evaluation and the positive impact of this endeavor. Provides implications for other student affairs offices.…