No Child Left Behind (NCLB) accountability mechanisms have the potential to derail comprehensive school reform (CSR) implementation. For those pursuing CSR, the question is how to reconcile the implementation of NCLB accountability mandates with ongoing CSR efforts. Drawing from longitudinal data from a national study of CSR, this article explores…

This manual for managers, supervisors, and union representatives presents information on how to implement a comprehensive program of voluntary reduced work time (V-Time) options for employees. (V-Time allows full-time employees to reduce work hours temporarily while retaining benefits.) It reports mainly the experiences of two counties and two…

This report describes the development, implementation, and impact of pupil weighting education finance systems in Florida, Utah, and New Mexico. Data, which were analyzed for pre- and post-reform periods, came from public documents and interviews with 217 state and local officials. Topics covered by the report include a general overview of the…

Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) programs were implemented in 1998 in five states working with the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL). SEDL's five-state region includes Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. This study examined the implementation status of CSR programs since funding ended. Two hundred and…

Analysis of the assumptions underlying the stakeholder approach to evaluation combined with the limited experience in testing the approach reported in this volume, suggests that some claims are cogent and others problematical. (Author)

Presents results of a retrospective investigation into a Vancouver (Canada) school district's adoption of school-based management, using Fullan's triphasic model of change (adoption, implementation, and incorporation) as a framework. During the change process, Fullan's overall factors were apparent, and the environment was unobstructed by…

Presents case studies of two family literacy programs in Michigan, showing how they adapt their programs to their participants' special needs. Discusses four critical and comprehensive factors revealed in the study (participation, curriculum, staff and administration, and fundraising) that need to be considered when designing effective family…

This paper describes how various formal planning approaches were developed and applied at Pennsylvania State University. Phases (horizontal reduction, vertical reallocation, strategic planning, and strategic management) are identified as are principles including planning for change on the margins and continuity, providing for feedback, and…

Using a case study approach, it is argued that evaluators play a critical role as change agents in foreign assistance projects directed at building Third World organizations. Evaluators affect stakeholder issues, commitment to project objectives, judgments of project accomplishments, consensus among project implementors, and perspective of…

This article presents case examples that illustrate strategies for promoting natural job supports for employees with disabilities. Strategies include, among others, collaborating with work-site personnel to develop modifications and providing general consultation on person-environment factors that promote the success of the supported employee and…

Positive behavior management has been recommended as a more acceptable form of classroom management than traditional behavioral modification. This paper discusses the application of stimulus and contingency control methods (positive behavior management) to elicit more socially and academically acceptable behavior from elementary school children.…

Suggests that the dangers and risks in whole language are real and irremedial, and educators' only recourse is to take responsibility for its shadow side and attempt to learn the lessons that even "monstrous examples" portend. (RS)

Explores the efforts of two African-American principals of an innercity elementary school to involve parents in all levels of the educational process through school reform. Despite similar backgrounds, the principals differed in their understanding of the community and their position in it. One was successful in improving home/school relations,…

Reviews 77 empirical and case studies of school-based management (SBM) implementations reported between 1985 and 1995 to determine typical obstacles and promising ameliorative strategies. There is no firm evidence of SBM's effects on students. Administrative-control SBM would probably produce the least amount of school change. Community-control…

Discusses ways to keep established teaching assistant (TA) training programs vital using a case study of the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Davis. Identifies seven key elements in the maturation and subsequent revitalization of the TA training program, including leadership, teaching attitude, financial resources, modest…