In this paper we present selected findings from a 2 year study system-wide study of the province of Alberta's Public Charter School System-some sixteen years into its existence. In 1994, Alberta Minister of Education Halvar C. Jonson introduced Bill 19, the School Amendment Act for the establishment of Canada's first charter schools as autonomous…

Countries all over the world find themselves in the throes of revolution, change, transition or transformation. Because of the complexities of these momentous events, it is no simple matter to describe and evaluate them. This paper suggests that comparative educationists apply a combination of three theories as a lens through which such national…

Navigating learning, formal or informal, can be overwhelming, confusing, and impersonal. With more options than ever, the process of deciding what, where, and when can be overwhelming to a learner. The concept of Open College at Kaplan University (OC@KU) was to bring organization, purpose, and personalization of learning caused by vast resources…

The article deals with the problems of content and technological modernization that arise in the process of transition from the information paradigm of education to the activity one. A combined training model of class teaching using information, practice-based activity and visual components is offered as an example and a result of innovative…

The achievement of development goals in education (as well as other fields) has not been particularly successful. Among the basic premises which implicitly define education and the association between education and development, the following three stand out as being particularly misguiding: (a) the view of education as a system, (b) the belief…

Six major innovations in China's system of educational administration are discussed. The six innovations are: (1) to reorganize the department of education; (2) to improve and strengthen macro administration of education; (3) to transfer decision-making power to local authorities and schools and vitalize them; (4) to improve the management of…

Focusing on the change process, this document presents five papers given at a regional EPDA inservice education program. Papers included are (1) Underlying Dimensions of the Change Process, by William Hull, which presents guidelines for planned change; (2) Alternative Organizations for Producing Innovation, by Daniel Koble, which describes…

This outline describes the initial direction of a collaborative project involving several educators with training and experience in alternative/progressive education. Goals include: exploring and developing one or more new models for high school education, submitting articles concerning this work to appropriate publications, and implementing the…

Discusses the four "planes of development" posited by Maria Montessori: (1) from birth to age 6; (2) from age 6 to 12; (3) from age 12 to 18; and (4) full maturity. Although Montessori schools have been successful in dealing with children during the first two planes, efforts need to be focused on adolescents at the third stage. (MDM)

This paper reports the findings of research on the plans of multiracial primary schools in England to implement a series of innovations in the educational system. The Education Reform Acts of 1986 and 1988 instituted innovations which included: (1) a national curriculum; (2) nationally imposed salaries; (3) a national teacher appraisal scheme; (4)…

This paper outlines reasons why current school improvement efforts in the Miami-Dade (Florida) school district are inadequate and offers an approach that will both build on the formal structure already in place and add a methodology to make it more effective. The text focuses on the field of system dynamics and how this method of analyzing…

In his America 2000 Education Strategy, President Bush proposed the establishment of a new generation of public schools--charter schools--as part of a long-term plan to achieve the six national education goals. As envisioned by the president, states will contract directly with "America 2000 Communities," conceived in the strategy as any…

This paper discusses the problem of selecting appropriate minimum criteria for the review of educational programs and products that will not unduly hinder the creative freedom of educational developers. The author first asserts that although most people support the concept of examining and assessing educational products and programs, there is much…

The role of evaluation in the development of evolutionary procedures is briefly described and highlighted. Four aspects of evaluation technique which distinguish efficient from inefficient CAI programs are identified. Evaluation of products is also characterized. Findings of a continuing survey of students via questionnaire as to the value of…

This paper calls for a close examination of the interface between technology and education. First, it examines previous research in the field of instructional technology. Secondly, it critiques the current body of research, dominated by those in a rather separate field, educational technology. The bodies of research are compared, and a critical…