Beginning with an analogy of today's schools as factories, this paper describes the conditions which make it both possible and imperative to transform schools. Examples are given of resources that may be used to support school-based changes, such as foundations, regional laboratories, professional associations, and universities. A model is offered…

Besides spotlighting education and influencing agencies' intervention in the educational processes, the recent reform movement has focused attention on all educational actors and called for increased accountability for teachers and administrative staff, including principals. While researchers disagree on the degree of instructional leadership…

This paper describes a workshop designed for individuals involved in inservice education and staff development for school personnel. The purpose of the workshop was to help participants learn and integrate some simple and functional skills that would enable them to face issues and empower themselves. The focus is on developing skills to become a…

Teachers have been identified as the critical change agents in integrating technological instructional materials with teaching and learning styles and with classroom activities. However, many teachers do not understand the changes in their roles in a technology intensive classroom, nor do they have the proper training to use new educational…

A report is given of a comprehensive review of research on inservice education. The review process began with 6,000 abstracts and references. About 150 of the documents reported some quantitative findings. Fifty-nine studies met topic criteria and also had statistics which could be synthesized. These studies were sorted into four categories of…

The key to successful development and adoption of new educational programs and practices is careful orchestration of several variables: administrative support, faculty involvement, administration and faculty commitment, and staff development activities. A chronological process involving programatic and political aspects for planned change is…

A description is given of the format and function of a projected state-mandated evaluation of the Florida Teacher Education Center (TEC) system, a governance structure which coordinates the design, implementation, and evaluation of inservice teacher education programs in Florida's 67 school districts. The organization, program, and financing of…

The nature of educational settings and the relationship between educational settings and educational change is discussed. It is suggested that the standard linear organizational structure within most school settings is detrimental to the implementation and development of creative change strategies. The rigidity of this type of organizational…

Current trends indicate that schools are moving toward more inclusive practices and are attempting to educate the majority of students with exceptional needs in the regular education classroom. Restructuring of schools to implement full inclusion will require that school leaders consider six factors that influence change. Creating an atmosphere…

This paper explores challenges and successes of efforts to improve instruction or classroom effectiveness. Policymakers' assumptions, perspectives, and decisions are reviewed and results presented from several studies of instructional improvement activities conducted in Maryland between 1978 and 1985. These activities included Project Basic, a…

To assist low-income rural schools with school improvement and dropout prevention, the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) has undertaken a multi-year project at five demonstration sites. This paper shares observations and lessons learned from the experiences of the five school districts involved in SEDL's partnership strategy. The…

The assumption that one person is trying to change another often makes the encounters between staff developers and teachers tenuous and delicate. The coordination and negotiation over role and status is seen in two different interactions. In the first encounter, between a staff developer and two teachers, the staff developer was the problem…

An overview is presented of a program that utilizes the abilities of a team of university professors to improve curriculum, build a staff development program, and establish diagnostic/prescriptive reading and mathematics programs in a junior high school. The school is in the inner city of Charleston, West Virginia, and its population is comprised…

In the last decade, the Office of Education has granted several billions of dollars to local educational agencies (LEAs) in an attempt to stimulate, and sometimes force, educational improvements. This paper was presented at a symposium considering experiences accumulated in a recent national study of federal change programs as they have (or have…

This study examined whether context and other variables differentiated between improving and stable Louisiana schools. Participating were principals of 124 improving and 124 stable schools, with a final response rate to a mail survey of 69 percent. The School Improvement Survey, developed for this study, assessed six areas: (1) demographic and…