School-based practicum is a critical component of teacher education programmes. Recent studies show that high-performing programmes evidence well-developed school university partnerships. In Ireland, recent policy changes mean pre-service teachers complete practicum placements of up to ten weeks in duration. Programme providers must design these…

This paper proposes a framework for analyzing program design features that seem to matter in implementation. The framework is based on findings from a study conducted by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) between 2004 and 2007 that explored how reform ideas and practices created by five external provider organizations were…

For the past two and one-half years I have been a practitioner participant in the National Center on Scaling Up Effective School's (NCSU's) work with Fort Worth Independent School District. I have a unique vantage point, being one of the few members remaining who has been involved since the very beginning. In addition, my work with NCSU has…

Communities of practice as organisations of learning have developed different forms as: task-based, practice-based or knowledge based communities (Barab et al., 2004). The paper presents a case study of a successful community of practice developed under the umbrella of Council of Europe Pestalozzi programme for teacher development. The programme…

An analysis of data collected from 30 urban districts indicates that there are encouraging developments in urban education which are exemplified by a number of successful programs. These include work-study programs, arts in education programs, programs which incorporate community resources, and alternative education programs. Five generalizations…

This paper describes some important aspects of the first two years of operation of the Educational Management Development Center (EMDEC). EMDEC was created in 1974 through a joint effort of the Carnegie-Mellon School of Urban and Public Affairs, the Kettering Foundation, and the Allegheny County Intermediate Unit in an attempt to extend the…

Most community colleges are involved in some sort of staff development program and are also undergoing constant change involving restructuring, rightsizing, or developing new missions and objectives. In general, the more institutionalized and integrated a staff development program is, the more effective the organization will be. Organizations are…

An "organic" relationship between change agents and clients is a well-popularized goal in recent literature on planned change and organization development. There is, however, a dearth of literature on how to manage change programs under parameters set by this organic value. This paper examines one school organization development program for the…

This paper provides school district administrators with a structured method for developing school programs aimed at reducing the risk of adolescent dropout. The methodology encompasses problem definition, fact finding, mission management, overcoming inertia, cohering programs tied to theory, feasible goal-setting, and normative personnel…

The redesign of basic science curriculum at the Columbia University (New York) dental school is outlined. Goals included development of a medical continuum allowing students to apply basic science to patient care; decompression of crowded second-year content; and facilitation of student pursuit of research and other biomedical interests in third…

A retrospective evaluation of a Dean's Project at the University of Utah offers insights on the building of a program to prepare teachers to deal with mainstreaming. The program, funded federally, was begun in 1975 and was defunded in 1979. Reflections are made on what appear to be, in hindsight, mistakes in the way the program was developed. The…

While the financial survival of postsecondary institutions is being stressed, continuing education operarions are facing increasing difficulties in surviving and competing. Strategies are needed for the significant survival of continuing education operations at the small college. The Lifelong Learning Center and others like it need to be concerned…

In an examination of the implementation of educational change, a discussion is presented on the purpose, meaning, and context of change. Consideration is given to the value of change, its benefits and feasibility, and the capacity for implementation. In the second section of the paper, 14 factors related to the implementation of change in schools…

With budget limitations, additional expectations and accountability requirements, changing enrollment trends, teacher shortages, need for new kinds of services, and other difficulties faced by rural communities, partnership arrangements with the private sector and higher education promise new avenues for rural education to meet future obligations.…

To clarify delivery system concepts, several topics will be addressed: educational needs of lower-income older people, formulation of a design concept, specification of the system's concrete aspects, and research/development implications. As the proportion of persons over age sixty-four grows and sensitivity to unmet lifelong learning needs rises,…