This dissertation provides historical insight into the design and implementation of one strategic plan of a public higher education system in an effort to inform future similar strategic planning processes. On July 1, 1994, the Board of Regents appointed Stephen R. Portch the ninth Chancellor of the University System of Georgia. The timing was…

Federal, state, and district policy mandates are increasingly affecting primary grade teachers--especially, those in at-risk schools, given that they face more mandated curriculum and professional development. This study investigated K-3 teachers in two inner-city schools as they navigated through various mandates. Qualitative and quantitative…

Two schools in Maryland received ARRA SIG (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act School Improvement Grants) funds to enable them to implement their turnaround efforts. This paper describes the outcomes of these two ARRA SIG recipient schools: (1) G. James Gholson Middle School; and (2) Commodore John Rodgers Elementary School. The experiences of…

In this article, the author discusses Response to Intervention (RtI), a school-wide system of intervention. One of the advantages of RtI in the diagnosis of disabilities is that it allows schools to intervene early to meet the needs of struggling learners. RtI also maps those specific instructional strategies found to benefit a particular student,…

This book details a study of policy from the perspective of Head Start staff and is written from the perspective of how staff adapted and interpreted program policies. Part 1 of the book describes the focus of the study and background information on Head Start, Hoover Community Action Corporation (study pseudonym), and Wood River Head Start (study…

During the last decade in Belgium and the Netherlands, comprehensive reform of primary education emanated from central policy. In both countries the national authorities set up a program to encourage and facilitate the new primary school concept. This paper reports on 25 schools in the Netherlands and 52 in Belgium that acquired special funding…

The goal of the Hamilton and Waterloo Catholic School Boards in Ontario, Canada, is to meet the needs of all children, in ordinary, age-appropriate classes in neighborhood schools. This report focuses on this approach of teaching students and disabilities, terming it "full inclusion." The report describes local school board policy and…

Upon completion of a collaboratively generated plan for curriculum development in the state of Victoria, Australia, in the early 1980s, the state's education ministry appointed a committee to create and carry out a strategy for implementing the newly developed policies. The committee consisted of representatives from the state's education…

Results of this study will be used to assess the possibilities and limitations of staff development as an instrument of state and local policy for improving educational quality in the public schools in California. Four basic questions were addressed: (1) What is the total California taxpayer investment in staff development and what forms do the…

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, resulted in substantial political, economic, and social changes in the nation. Higher education was not immune from this upheaval, and one significant way that 9/11 impacted colleges and universities was through federal legislation on international student enrollment. To date there have been few…

A school-wide communication policy addressing speech, speechreading, audition, and sign language with the ultimate goal of increased language acquisition in deaf and blind students was developed by a task force and its implementation timeline projected over five years. (CL)

This paper examines why charter schools are largely confined to urban areas. It explores why three states--Colorado, New Jersey, and Connecticut--with high proportions of charter schools in the suburbs have had greater success in introducing charter schools than Illinois, even though all four states have approximately the same laws governing these…

This workbook is part of a series devoted to all areas of charter-school development. The second of the series, this volume focuses on regulatory issues, such as special-education requirements, civil-rights regulations, federal and state laws and regulations, and requirements for parent involvement. The text is divided into four sections. Chapter…

As revealed by the mean scores of the countries participating in the Performance Improvement through Strategy Analysis (PISA) assessment of reading literacy, Finland shows the highest reading literacy performance in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD) Finland's performance is significantly higher than that of any other…

President George W. Bush's "No Child Left Behind" plan for educational improvement is based on four principles: accountability for results; local control and flexibility; expanded parental choice; and effective and successful programs. The program is dedicated to lifting up all teachers so that these teachers can, in turn, lift up their…