This document is a resource developed for educators trained in the Professional Learning Team (PLT) process by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL). The PLT process is a research-based model for effective schoolwide professional development that results in teachers changing their instructional practices. This publication provides…

As educators across the nation launch into frenzied efforts to "do something" in response to the various recommendations of commissions on educational excellence, many are forgetting that knowledge of how to implement change is available. This paper focuses on three concerns that educators must face when fitting general recommendations…

The author describes her experiences as linking agent in aiding four local Massachusetts schools to examine, choose, and implement innovative reading programs. A process rather than content expert, her task was to organize existing, widespread support for change within the schools and to work with both the principals and a multiconstituent…

In 1976 the National Institute of Education established the Research and Development Utilization (RDU) Program. This project was intended to apply research and development products to local school problems; to develop a problem-solving and product selection process usable by local schools and to organize a linkage system making national, state,…

A gap exists between educational research results and new educational programs. In the absence of either an increase in the supply of professional change agents to fill this gap or a proliferation of applied development centers, it is the researcher, or the professor, who must, along with teachers and administrators, utilize research to engineer…

The first part of a 3-part guide developed as a resource for people involved in the selection and implementation of new programs in school settings, this overview describes a wide range of linking agent roles and skills, and discusses training and support mechanisms for linking agents. Chapters address (1) the assumptions underlying the overview,…

The second part of a 3-part guide developed as a resource for people involved in the selection and implementation of new programs in school settings, this collection of articles covers such topics as consultation, educational change, and linking processes. The following readings are included: "Behavior of Innovative Personnel," by Gary…

The third part of a 3-part guide developed as a resource for people involved in the selection and implementation of new programs in school settings, this examination of each phase of the linking agent's work contains articles and papers by more than 30 authors and is organized according to six stages: (1) initiating the relationship with the…

The state of the art in the implementation of education innovation is assessed in three parts: (1) the identification of promising theories, important issues, and proven implementation strategies with emphasis on practical implications; (2) a review of research directly related to the development and implementation of new occupational education…

Staff development programs should be established by using a set of assumptions grounded in research and best practice. The article examines faulty assumptions that guide too many programs, then presents 14 new assumptions that should guide effective practice and successful staff development. (SM)

In discussing the improvement of schools by using research and development findings, two different outcomes of a change program are considered. One is the effective implementation of new programs through use of available knowledge. The second is the broader issue of achieving school improvement through making the organization more healthy, the…

Improving the quality of learning is basic to raising academic standards. Research on postsecondary learning improvement has provided a base of practical knowledge to guide faculty and planners. Successful learning improvement programs share two essential characteristics: they are more comprehensive in the range of students' needs met, and they…

The Center for Educational Research and Evaluation of the University of North Carolina (Greensboro) has been contracted to propose standards, indicators of quality, data collection procedures, and instruments for the evaluation of Georgia public schools mandated by the state legislature. The development of these standards and indicators is…

Fifty vocational educators, including directors of Research Coordinating Units, participated in a 1-week institute designed to identify ways to revitalize vocational education in metropolitan areas. The participants heard and reacted to presentations by five nationally recognized individuals which emphasized change process and educational…

The National Diffusion Network is a mechanism for sharing information and resources among education service providers. Three interactive components serve as a linkage in this network: (1) demonstrator-developers, (2) state facilitators, and (3) departments of education. (JN)