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)

Discusses some principles, considerations, and cautions for those creating staff development programs in whole language. Discusses factors necessary for effective implementation of whole-language programs. (RS)

Describes difficulties of Saint Paul's Saturn School of Tomorrow from planner, implementor, and evaluator viewpoints. The plan for a citywide, ungraded, downtown middle school called for an extended school year and the latest technology in a completely redesigned building with 4 teachers, 4 interns, and 162 students. Teachers were overworked, test…

Teachers' work with four National Science Foundation-funded curricula in the Missouri Middle-School Mathematics Project has disclosed 10 critical implementation elements: administrative support, opportunities for study, curriculum sampling, daily planning, interaction with experts, collaboration with colleagues, incorporation of new assessments,…

Examined the extent to which schools that received Title I funds for schoolwide programs implemented the plans they developed when requesting funds. Results from 10 urban elementary schools show that schools implemented some plan components but did not generally implement instructional innovations included in the plans. (SLD)

Discusses the rapid growth and expansion of distance education programs and provides a framework for defining, planning for, and achieving useful results from distance education programs today and in the future. Describes the Organizational Elements Model (OEM) that includes planning, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. (Contains…

Describes how to plan and implement intergenerational programs that benefit both students and senior citizens. Seniors can be invited to discuss their hobbies or careers, provide firsthand accounts of historical events in social-studies classes, and work with students on biography or gardening projects. Senior volunteers can also serve as…

A school's fundamental beliefs and vision about teaching and learning must be incorporated into its goals, strategies, policies, processes, cultural practices, management behavior, accountability systems, and stakeholder roles. Superintendents should work with community members to pin down core beliefs, make supportive changes, and obliterate…

Examines whether the technicist-rational approach to school development planning, advocated in England's Office for Standards in Education guidelines, is appropriate for primary schools, based on case studies of nine schools. School staff remain unconvinced that technicist-rational planning is key to implementing change. (Contains 39 references.)…

Describes how Minnesota implemented the Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology. Includes the timeline, rationale, potential activities and estimated costs associated with all phases, and steps for implementing the plan: investigate, replicate, integrate, and mandate. (JOW)

College and career readiness has become a unifying principle for education reform leaders across the country. A majority of states have made it a top policy priority, with an increasing number of national foundations and education reform advocates supporting this work. To help state leaders build strategies for sustaining their education agendas…

Two distinct school improvement efforts have been undertaken simultaneously in Washington State's North Kitsap School District. One effort focuses on achieving articulation of the curriculum throughout the district's four elementary schools, middle school, and high school. A needs assessment survey revealed that even within individual schools…

This handbook was designed to assist advisory councils, program staff and administrators, and community members in planning community education programs and in managing those programs effectively. Chapter I defines and describes planning: what it is, why it is used, and how to engage in the process. The critical role of planning leaders is…

The Aurora Public School System (Colorado) has devised a plan to ensure implementation of the adopted curriculum. By developing a program monitoring process and incorporating it in a handbook, staff can rate their behavior and use "green flags" or "red alerts" to characterize subject area strengths and deficiencies. (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.…