While initiative in educational policy formation has shifted increasingly away from local and federal to state-level policy systems, policy problems continue to be compounded by intellectual problems related to weak conceptualization and inadequate analysis. Policy debates of the 20th Century have focused successively on education efficiency,…

A science process skill project was implemented to help elementary teachers in New Mexico meet the competencies for teaching the process approach in science classes. This is the final report of the project and includes information on: (1) the scope of the program (delineating the program's major objectives and tasks); (2) the project's…

Presented originally at four conferences (held during 1984-1985), the 12 invited papers contained in this document were part of a federally funded project, the National Network for Professional Development in Vocational Special Education. Project objectives included training of teacher educators in employment preparation for the handicapped,…

The Education Committee of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) organized a Task Force on Precollege Science Education Programs to develop a strategy for increasing the involvement of scientific research personnel in the implementation of innovative elementary and secondary science education programs. This report…

A study examined the nature and extent of programs and course offerings available in the United States to prepare education and training professionals and analyzed the offerings in terms of a 1983 study done by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). Colleges and accredited business schools from across the country were…

This monograph surveys the literature relating to the role of the principal as change agent and the process of educational change, and reviews those characteristics that research has found to make principals more effective and efficient change agents. The introduction identifies four relevant perspectives in the research on instructional…

Current efforts and methodologies to evaluate vocational education programs are plagued by a number of problems. Included among these are the following: disagreement over the primary role and function of vocational education, too great an emphasis on summative and product evaluation as well as on labor market outcomes as indicators of program…

A description is provided of Florida Community College at Jacksonville's institutional assessment process. Part I explains the role of institutional assessment in a cycle of planning, research, and marketing, and establishes the scope, purposes, and uses of the assessment. Part II presents an overview of the three phases of the assessment process:…

In response to the estimate that 15-20 percent of the school-age population in Wisconsin can be classified as gifted and talented, this document suggests approaches educators can take to identify these students and to design programs to meet their special needs. An introductory section offers an overview of gifted and talented programming options…

This paper reviews the literature related to the role of career and vocational education in retaining at-risk secondary youth and motivating them to return to secondary or postsecondary school. Selected literature from nonvocational but related areas of service is reviewed to provide the reader with an overview of the scope of the problem and the…

The Center for Teaching and Learning at Ball State University is described in this report. Designed to make continuing efforts to improve the teaching and learning process, it offers many unique programs aimed at disseminating knowledge on the subject and encouraging faculty to use the results of these activities to improve their teaching. Some of…

This report presents a description of University College, Memphis State University (MSU). Created in 1975, this small, nontraditional college has prospered in the context of a large, state, urban university. It offers nontraditional students a way to create and finish individualized and interdisciplinary degree programs. Faculty can develop new…

The Interactive Video Training and Development Activity of Troy State University (Troy, Alabama) is described in this report. The project has trained more than 30 people in the production of interactive video programs since its inception in 1983. Since 1985, training programs have been offered twice a year to individuals within and outside the…

This report describes Project THISTLE: Thinking Skills in Teaching and Learning, a collaborative college-school program developed by Montclair State College and the Newark public schools, New Jersey. It was designed to improve the basic skills of college bound urban high school students working with their teachers in an integrated process of…

This study presents a statistical picture of the faculty who are delivering instruction in occupational or technical programs at postsecondary institutions. It examines the demographic and educational background characteristics of the faculty, job conditions, perceptions of institutional policies and mission priorities, and perceptions of student…