Technological innovation is driving fundamental changes in all aspects of our lives. This is especially true of digital content, as our use of e-books, downloadable music, streaming television and movies, and online social networks has exploded. However, the explosive growth in our use of digital content seems so far to have eluded many of the 50…

Program management is the complete management of all phases of all educational facility projects including control of procedures, schedules, costs, finances, and quality. (MLF)

Educators' efforts to employ quality management (QM) and strategic planning (SP) processes often fail because they plan incompletely; view QM and SP as distinct, parallel efforts; or fail to establish systemic responsibility for desired changes. This article introduces a four-phase framework that integrates strategic planning and quality…

Fiscal and programmatic controls that have been applied to different types of federal grants are described. It is suggested that a simplification of grant program structure is necessary to establish priorities and ways or controls to pursue these priorities. (CJ)

This learning module/handbook explains the rationale behind school-based budgeting (SBB)--the transfer of authority and responsibility for allocating a portion of school operating funds from the central school district to individual schools--and suggests practical implementation strategies. According to part I, SBB comes in many forms. Each school…

The Quality Circle Model of Planning is presented as a program evaluation approach for schools serving students with blindness. The model helps administrators solve problems using creative, innovative approaches; identifies human and monetary resources for successful implementation of the plan; and provides a framework for evaluating the plan's…

Since a large, underfunded urban Colorado district initiated ISO 9000 reforms, administrators and staff have reviewed 14 central-office departments' processes to improve efficiency and enhance student outcomes. Jefferson County has saved $900,000 annually on purchasing processes, developed a quality curriculum-development process, and improved…

A process of reviewing teacher-made tests was developed to implement the court-approved subplan for a "procedure for continual quality control checks on teacher-constructed tests." The implementation process includes six steps: (1) distribution to teachers of Resource Materials Excerpted from Classroom Test Skills - a package to increase…

The Office for Standards in Education in Great Britain conducts inspections of provisions for students with special educational needs in primary and secondary regular and special schools. Implementation of these inspections requires development of well-trained inspectors with special education expertise and recognition of local education authority…

Teachers must learn to distinguish among performance assessments of different quality and appropriateness. Design criteria (cognitive complexity, linguistic appropriateness, content quality and coverage, and meaningfulness) are judged by examining assessment tasks and scoring rubrics. Effects criteria (transfer, generalizability, instructional…

Design problems of a school curriculum plan (those which result when elements required to attain quality control are not present or not functionally linked one to the other) and delivery problems (implementation) are discussed in relation to school curriculum management. Problem intervention and improvement are noted. Eleven references are cited.…

The future of educational design, development, and improvement lies in integrating "how" with "what" and "why." Critical strategic thinking factors include abandoning comfort zones; focusing on ends, not means; linking all three planning and result levels; starting with an ideal vision; preparing measurable…

This handbook provides suggestions about quality control procedures that will enable Teacher Corps project personnel to assess the effects and success of educational products, practices, and other outputs prior to dissemination. Two assessment processes are outlined. The first, review, is the collegial ongoing process for Teacher Corps project…

This article describes the activities of a national group of assistive technology professionals known as the Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology Services (QIAT) Consortium. The work of the Consortium is discussed and the current set of indicators is included. Processes used in the development of the indicators are described. (Contains…

Two separate sets of minimum standards designed to guide the evaluation of bilingual projects are proposed. The first set relates to the process in which the evaluation activities are conducted. They include: validity of assessment procedures, validity and reliability of evaluation instruments, representativeness of findings, use of procedures for…