Within a system, change affects stakeholders differently. Consequently, when making changes in the mental health system, mental health agencies should expect varied reactions from staff, community members, consumers, and families. Since misunderstandings can stymie efforts to implement evidence-based and promising practices, it is important to…

The purpose of this paper is to inform the community about teacher appraisal methods in the School District of Philadelphia, outline the difficulties of the current system, and suggest approaches that would strengthen the teacher appraisal process. The authors gathered their information over three months in mid-2009 from multiple sources:…

Educators are encouraged to build advocacy for gifted education through the program itself by demonstrating the high quality products of participating students, and through continued commitment to public relations. Factors common to programs that have survived the economic downturn in New England are identified, including sustained advocacy…

Describes Q methodology, a technique that can be used to gain important insights on individuals' judgments, attitudes, and points of view on topics or situations that involve early intervention effectiveness issues. Specific steps involved in Q methodology are illustrated in a description of an early intervention efficacy study. (Author/CR)

Every year more intercollegiate speech and debate programs are eliminated from universities and colleges. Shrinking resources for higher education make it difficult to sustain extra or co-curricular activities without endowments and alumni support. Alumni support begins by cultivating a respect in undergraduates for speech and debate as a…

Presents lists of questions that parents, teachers, and administrators can use to assess their own readiness for a parent involvement program. Outlines a process for successful program development. (SJL)

Argues that the identity of basic writing (its status and position) is a function of larger institutional decision-making processes and therefore the focus of efforts to change basic writing should also engage these institutional processes. Focuses on how participating in technology design can be a wedge for engaging in decision making about the…

Educators of the gifted are urged to use effective media strategies to promote gifted programs, including cultivating contacts with media personnel; targeting newsworthy content; selecting an appealing format for content; enhancing program image through use of the Driver Rider Matrix; writing effective news releases and features; making radio and…

New voluntary agencies have grown out of the social changes of the 1960s. These grass-roots organizations, such as coffee houses, legal aid societies, and community counseling centers, differ in program style and attitude from traditional social agencies and may be more effective with alienated and cynical young people. (SJL)

The need exists to develop effective and efficient educational service delivery systems in schools. A framework for school psychologists to engage in planned organizational change activities is presented. Alternative organizational change approaches, change strategies associated with them, and guidelines for considering alternatives in planning a…

Discusses why, despite successes in other universities, some writing across the curriculum (WAC) programs are struggling to survive. Discusses faulty assumptions about WAC and competing priorities within the university. Concludes that WAC forces institutions to reexamine their identity. (RS)

Offers solutions for faculty working to educate colleagues and administrators to support their use of service learning or who want to access campus resources and support for service learning. Discusses solutions to challenges such as "We already do that,""It takes too much time and effort," and "We're not here to teach…

Discusses strategies for increasing long-term administrative support of experiential college programs, including identifying client groups, establishing program credibility through outside sources, developing alliances within the institution, adapting to the institutional context, working with members of the institution to help achieve their…

A study was conducted to (1) identify basic components included in Texas vocational agriculture summer programs, (2) determine teacher, administrator, state staff, and teacher educator perceptions of the relative importance of groups of activities included in the summer program, and (3) recommend guidelines for basic summer program operation.…

To obtain perceptions of student growth in reading, this evaluation report assessed the first-year implementation of a seventh grade reading pilot program at Bell, Correia, Standley, and Wilson schools in the San Diego Unified School District. The pilot program addressed the reading needs of seventh grade students achieving two or more years below…