To identify critical postimplementation events and school-related factors that affect the continuation of new classroom practices, qualitative data were collected in 14 elementary and secondary schools representing a mix of settings. Efforts to improve the schools' instructional programs in either basic skills, career education, or citizen…

This paper reviews literature and history of special education programs since passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) in 1975, and describes findings from a 1987-88 survey of special education directors in 50 states. Previous literature suggested perceived benefits and difficulties with local education agency…

A study focused on promotion/retention policies, retention rates, and the problems/objectives associated with their implementation. Thirty-three of the 43 members of the Council of the Great City Schools responded to a survey that measured three demographic characteristics: the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch; the…

Distance education at Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education (RMIHE) in Australia is addressed in two papers by David Roberts. The first paper, "Approaches to Learning: An Institutional Study," discusses the results of 1984 questionnaires and diaries completed by RMIHE distance education students. Information was sought on how…

Community mental health centers have been faced with mandates to introduce new programs or improve old ones often without the necessary information or expertise to implement such changes. Community mental health centers (N=39) were studied to identify the nature and extent of information use and factors related to information use. Experts visited…

The findings of 13 studies of educational change, leadership, and decision-making are summarized in this report. Conducted by the staff of the Project on Administration and Organization for Instruction at the University of Wisconsin Center for Education Research, the studies utilized data gathered in over 100 middle, junior, and senior high…

The techniques and accompanying problems of collecting data on interventions are explored. As a result of the analyses of two previous studies (Colorado and Kentucky Ethnographic Studies, 1979; and Texas, 1981) a hybrid-method of documenting interventions was developed for use in the Principal-Teacher Interaction Study (PTI). This paper traces the…

As part of a study to test the feasibility of expanding computer use within the Montana business community, computer systems were field tested in four Montana small businesses. The four businesses were a newspaper, an advertising agency, a sheep and cattle ranch, and a private investment company. The companies employed from 3 to 20 persons. Three…

In this study, institution-wide strategic plans that were available online were examined in detail to determine how educational technology was referred to in these documents. Based on this data and the literature, a schedule of principles for supporting the implementation of educational technology in post-secondary teaching was developed.…

The character and impact of citizen monitoring groups are examined in this report, which evaluates groups monitoring three civil rights issues related to public education: race desegregation, sex equity, and services for the handicapped. The authors conducted site visits to study monitoring of race desegregation in 15 school systems, sex equity in…

The results of a study of five midwestern school districts suggest that the abandonment of program innovations or revisions may be related to a lack of understanding of how schools work as social systems and how political processes influence change efforts, as well as a failure to appreciate the many dilemmas facing those who attempt to facilitate…

This self-study, undertaken in March 1981 to collect and analyze data regarding the library's preservation problems and to develop a program addressing these needs, is presented in four sections. The first briefly describes the major findings of the study. The following section summarizes the major areas of need identified by an analysis of the…

This study attempted to identify which tactics used by administrators had the greatest influence on the introduction of special education curriculum innovations. Surveys and interviews with administrators in 39 sites were used to gather data. The administrators were those identified as advocates of a particular innovation, the Social Learning…

This collection of papers addresses significant issues related to the training of general educators to prepare them for the education of handicapped students in regular classrooms. Authors make specific recommendations for policymakers as they consider effective inservice and preservice programs. Papers are presented on the following topics: (1)…

A language evaluation instrument was devised to assess the accuracy of program implementation by teachers of four Australian preschool programs. The Teacher Language Instrument (TLI) categorizes each verbal episode of a teaching interchange for both mode and function. Five general mode categories of teacher language behavior--statements,…