The successful computer program in rural Hillsboro-Deering (New Hampshire) Cooperative School District was the result of a program of excellence in education adopted by a completely new and inexperienced school board in 1978. Supported both by oldtimers and by newcomers, the board acquired new administrators, purged the faculty, and acquired…

This paper describes the Success for All Program and items that need be considered when the program is implemented in elementary schools. The program includes one-to-one tutoring; frequent assessment; a family support team; innovative curriculum approaches in reading, writing, and language arts; and other interventions. Discussion expands on…

Studied was the development of the school subject English in the Norwegian compulsory elementary and junior high school system, stressing the period of 1945 to 1970. Historically, the relation of educational reform to the school subject English is described with identification of the influencing forces and mediating agencies. This report is…

Since India gained its independence in 1947, three important commissions have examined the issue of educational reform. The first (in 1948) recommended a vocational emphasis in the intermediate (predegree) courses without sacrificing emphasis on preparation for university education. In 1954, the Secondary Education Commission resulted in the…

This paper, presented at the 1984 regional workshop of the Appalachia Educational Laboratory, draws upon recent research to list and debunk the following 10 "myths" about school improvement: (1) that change can be initiated simply by clarifying goals and designating staff (change actually requires three gradual steps--initiation, implementation,…

Rationales for the college learning center to provide consulting services are considered, along with the literature on learning centers as consultants to the university community. Attention is directed to an actual consultation intervention, in which the learning center at the University of Utah worked with the coordinator and teaching assistant…

The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) offers an approach to the study of change by focusing on the needs of individuals and describing their growth over time. Seven Stages of Concern (SoC) have been identified that occur as a teacher adopts an innovation: (1) little concern about or involvement with the innovation; (2) interest in learning more…

As a result of a survey concerning computer assisted instruction in Arizona schools, Arizona State University developed a program to assist districts in computer instructional program development. In the initial planning phase of the program, a list was drawn up of preparatory functions essential for districts making a transition to computer…

Changing concepts of elementary education led educators in Sheffield, England, to rethink their facility needs. A move to open plan schools was the result. Problems encountered in this move differed according to whether the new facilities were replacements for previously existing structures, remodelled buildings, or brand new schools serving new…

A longitudinal study of the process of planning and implementing an inservice program in a large urban school district was conducted. After extensive interviews with participants, a premise that collaborative planning contributes to the successful implementation of an innovation emerged. This method of planning is characterized by project plans…

Describes a five step mechanism for promoting change and illustrates it with a case study from the Telecommunication and Broadcasting Training Institute (TBTI) in Saudi Arabia. The steps outlined are: (1) organizational analysis; (2) determining receptivity to change; (3) implementation strategy; (4) implementing change and overcoming resistance;…

This document contains resolution text adopted by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in July 1998 regarding Redesigning Low-Performing Schools. A Question & Answer section follows the resolution, addressing the following issues: (1) Union support for redesign or closure of low-performing schools; (2) Indicators of low-performing schools…

This study investigated factors impinging upon the successful implementation of reform in New Jersey's special needs or Abbott districts. Surveys of 28 Abbott districts examined the extent to which districts embraced remedial measures in the Supreme Court's rulings; perceived compatibility between remedial measures embodied in the reform and prior…

This study focuses on how a statewide reform initiative, when envisioned as a professional development opportunity, affected teachers' capacities to become change-agents in their classrooms and districts, and how individual district contexts shaped the development of those capacities. The interview and artifactual data used for this study were…

The New Century High Schools (NCHS) initiative so far has launched three rounds of new small high schools in New York City, working in collaboration with the Department of Education of the City of New York (DOE), the teachers' and principals' professional associations, and a consortium of funders led by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. New…