This paper discusses the results of a survey that investigated how 69 school districts associated with the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented were implementing cluster grouping to meet the intellectual, social, and emotional needs of gifted students. Results from the survey indicate: (1) the majority of school districts did not…

In order to facilitate the collective bargaining process for distance learning compensation at Mid-Plains Community College Area in Nebraska (MPCCA), a phone survey was conducted in 1998. All in-state, public 2-year community colleges were contacted regarding their compensation practices in this area. In addition, a sampling of public 2-year…

The district-level implementation of a systemic educational change in teacher evaluation mandated at the state level was studied at the elementary and middle school level in a small rural school system. The historical background of teacher evaluation processes from early American schooling to the 1909s was studied. The pilot case study then…

This research study sought: (1) to examine the range of vocational education opportunities available to young mothers enrolled in teen parent programs; (2) to explore the degree of access to these opportunities; (3) to examine vocational education use; and (4) to assess the likely impact of the Family Support Act on teen parents and on the…

Findings of a descriptive study of Drug Free Schools and Communities Act (DFSCA) state and local programs are summarized in this paper. The formula grant program, which began in fiscal year 1987, is the single largest drug prevention program funded by the federal government. This paper describes the early planning and implementation of DFSCA…

This four-document collection describes the implementation processes of dramatically improved literacy programs in elementary schools which are leading the move to restructure literacy education in the Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington). The first document in the collection, "Strategies for Improving School-Wide…

This practicum report describes the development and implementation of a program to increase parent participation in the planning and conducting of activities sponsored by the district-level special education parent advisory committee. Monthly meetings and social events were held to encourage the 250 special education families to be more involved…

The impact of the School Improvement Through Instructional Process (SITIP) program in Maryland schools was studied. The program encouraged application of research on planned change to implement one or more of four instructional models: Active Teaching, Mastery Learning, Student Team Learning, and Teaching Variables of "content" and…

This paper reviews the literature of formal mentoring programs in organizational settings. Additionally, the components of mentoring, how it works, and how it can be implemented in an organization is addressed. Further this paper also proposes that formal mentoring is possible in organizations. Formal mentoring will be shown to be less effective…

In 1987, the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention contracted with the Social Science Education Consortium to study how law-related education (LRE) programs become institutionalized and what factors influence institutionalization. Interviews were conducted in eight school districts in four states and narrative case studies…

The Pierce County Cooperative is a vocational and special education consortium of 12 school districts in the western part of Washington State. The Cooperative strives to improve the job entry capability and postsecondary educational opportunity for mildly handicapped learners within the participating districts by facilitating functional…

A study was conducted to produce a graphic representation of the needs of the displaced homemaker (single parent and homemaker) population in New Jersey and to identify the services available to them. Data were collected from 28 sites using a mailed survey to program directors and face-to-face interviews with program participants and directors.…

This technical report describes an in-depth study of the implementation of computers in a comprehensive school which had recently purchased 17 microcomputers. The study investigated the different factors that influenced the introduction of computers into the school at the teacher's level, the departmental level, and the school level. Analyses of…

A study examined the implementation of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) in 12 communities across the country. Despite the impressive numbers cited by those who proclaim that the JTPA is a remarkable success, the program's critics, and even some of its supporters, acknowledge major concerns about the program's ability to address the special…

The primary purpose of a staff development program entitled "Skills for Effective Teaching," which was adapted in a Virginia public school district, was to teach effective instructional skills to teachers who did not possess or demonstrate those skills. The program was also aimed at retaining and reinforcing the effective instructional skills…