This is a collection of four papers concerned with improvement of Chapter 1 programs in the northwestern United States. The first paper (Steve Murray) describes a program improvement support model presently in use. It summarizes the process of program adoption in five northwestern states and describes differences in state context that have…

The Ford Foundation's City High School Recognition Program (conducted in l982-83), was designed to find, document, and recognize the overall progress made in recent years by inner city high schools that previously had been failing. Through a blend of $l,000 recognition awards and $20,000 project grants, the program sought to reinforce the most…

A group-contingency behavior game significantly decreased disruptive classroom behavior after five weeks. The classroom observers gradually phased themselves out of the program, while training the teacher to continue the game unaided. Further analysis of the relative influences of peer pressure and competition v social reinforcement is needed. (CP)

Since the early 1960s, Project Follow Through has used psychologists to develop effective educational models for economically disadvantaged children. The successful utilization of psychologists has implications for two central issues: roles for such professionals in social intervention research, and future uses of planned variation and sponsorship…

Describes changes in educator morale and student achievement at Walkersville Middle School which instituted an National Education Association (NEA) program to help analyze a school's organizational health called Keys to Excellence for Your Schools. Successful schools display the same 35 characteristics, among them being a shared commitment to…

The study described here examined the professional communities of teachers in American high schools. Data were derived from a series of observations and interviews undertaken over a 3-year period in six high schools in Michigan. Based on these data, the study developed a working definition of the term "professional community," described…

In accordance with research into what makes schools effective, efforts were made to translate the findings into a school improvement project in the New York City Public Schools. The research isolated five characteristics of schools identified as effective (that is, as demonstrating for 3 years the ability to deliver basic school skills to the full…

The report of the External Program Review Team on Teacher Education to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education featured 23 recommendations for Oklahoma to become a leader in teacher education. The recommendations were grouped into five categories of concerns: program rigor, faculty resources, technology, interrelationships/leadership, and…

This paper discusses how strengthening connections between the school and its community can help to improve a school's problem solving capacity. The paper is based on data collected by the Documentation and Technical Assistance Project of the Center for New Schools (Chicago, Illinois), from observation of nine school sites which were involved in…

This report reviews recent research on strategies that have been found to promote useful and effective inservice training programs in desegregated schools. The first section presents approaches for planning and implementing inservice training for desegregation. The second section describes inservice desegregation training programs that focus on:…

The evaluation design described was used to aid the governing board to reach a policy decision about expanding the California Early Childhood Education program (renamed the School Improvement Program) in the Lafayette School District. Descriptions of procedures, question formats, audiences involved, and results are included. (MH)

Outlines three effective schools projects: (1) Project RISE (Milwaukee), (2) the Effective Schools Project (Chicago); and (3) Project SHAL (Saint Louis). For each project, details administrative and instructional support arrangements, system-wide initiatives, outcomes, and future directions. Summarizes the main issues in creating effective…

This report, designed for program initiators such as policymakers and advisory committees, is the second of two publications on school-age child care. This document specifically addresses school-age child care policy and focuses attention on various programs offering children a predictable and safe environment of care and informal learning.…

A research project was developed for New York City public schools to improve student achievement based on analysis of school performance and subsequent development of corrective action evaluated within a framework of accountability. The program was composed of: (1) participation in the decision making process by various special interest groups;…

Explores reasons for the tenuous relationship between educational research and educational practice. Suggests changes in research and policy to bring educational research directly to bear on educational problems. The major problem is that researchers are searching for variables that relate to improved outcomes, whereas educational innovators are…