The functions of the Evaluation Assistance Center-East (EAC-E), funded under Title VII of the Elementary Secondary Education Act are described. The EAC-E focuses on providing technical assistance (TA) to state and local educational agencies related to the evaluation of bilingual education programs. How TA is provided with regard to improving…

This paper reviews the role played by the Title I (now Chapter 1) Evaluation Technical Assistance Centers in providing technical assistance to state and local agencies. It presents (1) a legistative history; (2) the Technical Assistance Center (TAC) activities under Title I; (3) an evaluation of the TACs; (4) the legislative changes enacted by the…

A key assumption of the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) is that change is a process, rather than an event. The Procedures for Adopting Educational Innovations Project is working to identify and verify diagnostic dimensions of CBAM, and to develop tools to measure the developmental status of users and non-users; these concepts will help change…

This paper describes one component of the Study of Dissemination Efforts Supporting School Improvement, which focused on the role that external facilitators play in helping schools implement new educational practices. The first part describes the external facilitator sample (95 respondents) and delineates the major formal role groups of external…

Policies of the United States Office of Education (USOE) pertaining to the utility of Title I Evaluation and Reporting System (TIERS) are discussed, as well as the effect of clarification, expansion, or revision of these policies on procedures. In order to facilitate the implementation of the TIERS, USOE has initiated a system of regional…

Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 authorized the creation of sex desegregation assistance centers (SDACs) to provide local education agencies with technical assistance and training for improving sex fairness in education. This role was later expanded to include assisting local districts in implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments…

Most current theories about consultation may be subsumed under two models. In the purchase model, an organization defines its problem and hires a consultant. In the doctor- patient model, a consultant diagnoses an implied need and suggests remediation. A third approach, process consultation, recognizes the value of the clients' expertise in…

This paper summarizes some of the main conclusions of the Study of Dissemination Efforts Supporting School Improvement, specifically those regarding the process of innovation implementation. The focus is on the contributions of potential assisters to various implementation outcomes, from which implications for policy and practice are derived. The…

Suggestions for a new role for the Department of Education's regional offices should reflect the new goals and purposes of federal services to education as well as the needs of regional education clients. The U.S. Congress set 7 purposes when it created the Department of Education, and present Secretary of Education Terrel H. Bell established 12…

The Alliance Project strives to increase the participation of minority institutions of higher education (MIHEs) in personnel preparation grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements supported by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The project's primary purpose is to create a more diverse pool of special educators and related service…

Communications can play an important role in rural development. Especially promising are programs to reduce the cost of transportation and to extend services to dispersed rural populations, especially education, health, and entertainment services. There is a strong presumptive case that broadband communications can do a great deal to promote rural…

An increased proportion of Chapter 1 budgets across the country have been directed to the purchase of microcomputer hardware and software. A major reason for this expenditure has been the promise of better instruction, or at least more instruction for Chapter 1 students, without additional staff resources. Although evidence for instructional…

The changing nature of technical assistance activities and evaluation for compensatory education programs was discussed. The emphasis is on the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) Chapter 1 Technical Assistance Centers (TAC) and their clients. Improvement of school practices demands that the technical assistance process be developed…

Program improvement activities can be classified into four categories based on the source of the impetus and the locus of the change agent: systematic, symbolic, opportunistic, and pragmatic. This paper (1) describes the various approaches to implementing Chapter 1 program improvement activities at the state and local district levels in 13 western…

Passage of the Education Amendments of 1974 added a new section to Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, which required the U.S. Commissioner of Education to undertake specific activities regarding evaluation of the program. Efforts made by the Office of Education to implement this law are described, including the…