In this essay, the author reviews "Education Reform in New York City: Ambitious Change in the Nation's Most Complex School System," by Jennifer A. O'Day, Catherine S. Bitter, and Louis Gomez. The book under review explores a larger set of issues, and some time has passed. But many of the issues studied remain relevant and the consistent…

Suggests that educational reform at the local level is often not implemented because of inadequate communication between politicians, planners, bureaucrats, and educators. Concludes that planners need to specify details of implementation, particularly the human dimension of that task and that senior bureaucrats must be brokers rather than…

The document stresses that planning is essential to introduce arts programs into the schools and provides suggestions for the planning process. Elements of a good planning process include clearly stated goals and objectives, efficient use of existing resources, a survey of local conditions, involvement of influential school officials and community…

Arguing that "needs assessment" is too vaguely defined, this paper considers the term's location within the planning field, compares two variants of the discrepancy model (classical versus social welfare approaches), and reflects on the assumptions and implications imbedded in needs assessment technocracy. Includes 16 notes and 26 references. (MLH)

Assesses major findings and recommendations of the education commission reports and discusses issues and topics that they avoid. Argues that the inadequacies of the reports derive from the defective nature of the commission process itself. Also argues that even if the commission reports had never been issued, American schools would be on the mend.…

Presents essential elements and reviews the concept of client-centered planning as an approach to program development for continuing education in public health. Client-centered planning is aimed at the identification of individual practitioner needs and the development of educational interventions tailored to improve competency in selected areas.…

The two parts of this report to the Kansas State Board of Education discuss the need for early childhood education, and the feasibility of early childhood education in the public schools. Data suggest a need for preschool education, especially for vulnerable children who cannot otherwise receive the benefits of education when they reach the age of…

Two views of social studies curriculum development are discussed. The technical project view assumes a linear sequence of discrete events; the social process view assumes a dynamic, interactive relationship among policy, planning, enactment, and their sociocultural context. An alternative conception that integrates technical, social, and critical…

The educational programs of the Great Leap Forward (GLF) represented the first organized attempt by the Chinese government to restructure and align the educational system with the national economy. The educational policies of the GLF ultimately foundered because of patterned inertia within the educational system.(Author)

The author, who over the years has taken many students abroad on study tours, shares some conclusions that he has reached. His thoughts, which include many practical tips on how to organize foreign travel, should be helpful to educators planning on undertaking such a venture. (RM)

A conceptual framework that will increase understanding of the link between educational planning and implementation is presented. The framework is based on three basic components: (1) identifying the problems to be solved, (2) making decisions in choosing among alternative actions, and (3) communicating change inherent in the educational plan. (RM)

Outcome-based education (OBE) means clearly focusing and organizing everything in an educational system around what is essential for all students to be able to do successfully at the end of their learning experiences. This book examines the issues critical to understanding and implementing OBE. Chapter 1 addresses a range of issues related to the…

Computers serve schools in several ways. In the business office they perform functions in payroll and accounting; they are the subject matter in the computer science courses that train students in skills that the coming technological lifestyle will make necessary; they permit effective instructional management; and they provide the means for…

The literature on the evaluation of curriculum development reveals several characteristics of curriculum planning and implementation processes that are likely to facilitate change. Part 1 of this two-part report presents the results of an analysis of 34 documents, available through the ERIC system, on curricular development. Each of several…

Discusses environmental education in terms of the scope of the field, its relevance to developing countries, some central planning and implementation issues, and the economics and politics of environmental education. (WB)