The five states in the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Northwest Region have many rural schools that have been designated as in need of improvement. And all five states had rural schools in the first cohort of federal School Improvement Grant (SIG) recipients. To address school improvement, the majority of those schools implemented the…

This brief summarizes the findings from a study that surveyed principals of rural schools nationwide that were designated as in need of improvement and that used the transformation model under the federal School Improvement Grant (SIG) program. It provides information about the use of SIG funds in rural areas and is designed to help state leaders…

The focus of this study is on the readiness of higher education institutions in the Philippines to the implementation of the Senior High School program of the new K-12 curriculum. Data were collected through a survey questionnaire. The findings reveal five predisposing factors, namely: eligibility, staffing guidelines, course streamlining,…

During a meeting of the Ohio Education Association, teachers raised concerns about a pending state mandate requiring school districts to provide mentoring programs for beginning teachers. Concerns relevant to teacher unions/organizations included funding for adequate teacher release time, the mentor role, mentor selection, training, scheduling of…

The major factors affecting successful recruitment and utilization of school volunteers are reviewed in this booklet. The possibilities opened by such programs and the control that can be exercised over them are stressed in the opening pages of the document to encourage program implementation and assuage unnecessary fears. A 17-step process for…

This handbook demonstrates a practical approach for establishing and presenting quality in-school programs that bring students, teachers, and professional artists together. The first of five chapters presents a rationale for arts education, emphasizing that art can "turn on" children to the pleasure and excitement of aesthetic experience,…

Despite consensus on the administrative reforms needed in school effectiveness programs, policy problems are raised when administrators and school boards want to translate research findings on school improvement into practical terms. Although school systems are now using a number of organizational tools that lift standardized test scores (for…

The concept and purpose of this facilitator guide is to provide the three facilitator groups of educators, park and resource management personnel, and parents of handicapped children with information on how to cooperatively design and implement an outdoor education program for handicapped students. Chapter 1 (contributed by Vicki Stayton) outlines…

This monograph focuses on the implementation process that has been a concern of school jurisdictions since the teacher evaluation policy became mandatory in Alberta, Canada, in 1985. Research has shown that school systems are adept at developing written policy but much less successful at putting that policy into effective operation. This overview…