The Region 5 Comprehensive Center (R5CC) developed the Education Agency State of Readiness Assessment Tool to assess the readiness of State education agencies (SEA) to take on capacity-building projects. The indicators are adapted from the NECTAC Technical Assistance Model for Long-Term Systems Change and are based on years of developing and…

As researchers, decision-makers, and practitioners focus on continuous improvement in education, local-level change is gaining importance. Yet, many local school improvement efforts fail to be fully implemented. Even those that are fully implemented often fail to sustain improvements because the schools are embedded in systems that face multiple…

A "blueprint" is a guide designed to improve large-scale implementations of a specific systems or organizational approach, like School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS). This blueprint is intended to make the conceptual theory, organizational models, and practices of SWPBS more accessible for those involved in enhancing how schools,…

Ongoing, strategic family-school partnering (FSP) is an essential component of every educational community. FSP is a multi-dimensional process in which schools, families, and communities engage in shared actions to ensure a child's academic, social, and emotional success. With this text, the authors intend to offer a practical guide that…

School improvement might be initiated by state or district mandate, or it might be motivated by the concerns of school personnel. Teachers and administrators frequently enter the process with some idea of what needs to be reformed or improved, but issues can be overemphasized or overlooked if the process does not begin with a comprehensive needs…

As part of its work to advance the multiple pathways approach to high school education, the James Irvine Foundation engaged the Bridgespan Group to develop a framework for assessing the nature and needs of the fields in which nonprofits operate. These agents of change often struggle to understand how to focus their field-building investments and…

The paper describes a systems framework for special education program evaluation that promotes adaptation of program evaluation methods, procedures, and techniques to problems and nature of special services delivery. Use of the framework as an organizing device helps provide definition and direction to special education program evaluation.…

With the increase in the number of organizational leadership development programs, there is a pressing need for evaluation to answer important questions, improve practice, and inform decisions. The Handbook is a comprehensive resource filled with examples, tools, and the most innovative models and approaches designed to evaluate leadership…

A method for analyzing expenditures and revenue, and a matrix for use in decision making about program choice and more productive use of resources, is outlined. Institutional integrity (internal and external cohesion) is preferred to emphasis on competition. (MSE)

An approach to help the line administrator conceptualize and direct institutional change is presented. Postsecondary institutions are described from a systems perspective and represented in a linear diagram to identify those areas that can become focal points for renewal activities. A three-dimensional typology provides a framework of alternative…

Validation studies, placement-enrollment comparisons, student surveys, and instructor interviews are discussed as operational methods in a synthesizing approach to undergraduate course placement evaluation. A range of suggested questions is coupled with various data sources in placement evaluation schemes and system procedures. (CM)

Proposed is a comprehensive instructional design model which (1) suggests a systems-based approach to preparing, implementing, and evaluating instruction at the program syllabus, course syllabus, and instructional unit levels; (2) subsumes those various dimensions of a mastery learning strategy which encompass preconditions, operating procedures,…

A conceptual framework and practical approach are presented focusing on the possibility of making an evaluation of tertiary educational institutions by means of different levels, categories, and criteria of analysis. The paper is a preliminary reference design of evaluation whose theoretical approach is summarized with a more extensive…

This book for state early childhood licensing administrators addresses the problem of obtaining systematic and reliable information about the operation of an early childhood or child care program. The book: (1) provides an introduction to early childhood program evaluation; (2) describes systematic observation techniques; (3) discusses summative…

This book describes the evolution of New American Schools (NAS) and its strategy for reform during its first 6 years of operation. After a short introduction in chapter 1, chapter 2 outlines the potential contribution of school designs and design-based assistance to education reform, focusing on the nature of NAS designs, the character of…