This report on the SCALE Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) Case Studies line of work provides preliminary findings about SCALE activities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison). This study focuses on the structural and behavioral dynamics influencing the implementation of the four core SCALE strategies for effecting change in…

Community psychologists have a long-standing interest in promoting systems change to improve the lives of individuals and communities. To more fully illuminate a multilevel model of those factors involved in the promotion of systems change, the current study examined individual- and organizational-level characteristics related to health care…

This paper examines the educational impacts of the Berkshire Wireless Learning Initiative (BWLI), a pilot program that provided 1:1 technology access to all students and teachers across five public and private middle schools in western Massachusetts. Using a pre/post comparative study design, the current study explores a wide range of program…

The evaluation examined issues related to: (1) Rationale and Relevance; (2) Implementation; and (3) Success. In addition, the interim evaluation was intended to: (1) Determine whether sufficient data was being collected to inform the summative evaluation and identify opportunities for improvement to fill any potential gaps; (2) Assess whether the…

A discussion of the role of bilingual education programs focuses on their function as a district-wide or school-wide reform effort, rather than as a discrete program within a larger system. It is proposed that this approach requires changes in the traditional roles of school personnel and thoughtful attention to how to involve all participants.…

Focusing on theories and practices related to outcomes-based learning (OBL), this paper presents arguments for adopting an OBL approach in Canada's community colleges. Introductory sections review internal and external reasons for making changes to the teaching and learning paradigm, such as new demands for training and reduced funding. Part I…

The content and quality of prisoner education in Queensland, Australia, was reviewed. The review focused on the following topics: prisoners' rights and responsibilities in general and their rights to rehabilitation and education in particular; the structural, organizational, and attitudinal barriers to correctional education; available and needed…

In 1992 the Pew Partnership launched a national initiative aimed at discovering new knowledge about how citizens accomplish significant, lasting improvements in their communities. The Partnership chose smaller cities as the focus for this experimental effort, granting each of 14 cities up to $400,000 for a 3-year period. Eight of the cities later…

As part of an 8-year study of education reform in rural Kentucky, this report examines the primary program that has evolved in six rural elementary schools as a result of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), which requires that grades K-3 be replaced by a nongraded program. This change aimed to eliminate failure in the first 2 years of…

A staff-needs planning system was developed and tested in a Department of Social Services' Family and Children's Services Unit in a medium-sized county where caseworkers used no established strategy or planning method to facilitate accomplishment of all the job requirements. The goal of the study was to implement a planning system based on each…

Technical Preparation (Tech Prep) programs include basic skills and competencies to improve students' school-to-work transition. The following elements characterize Tech Prep: designed for grades 9-14, leading to an technical associate degree; parallels college preparatory program; offers technical program of study in business enterprise,…

After describing the programs and staff at Ian Bazalgette Junior High School in Calgary, Canada, this document reviews the problems at the school in 1979 that led to the implementation of the Effective Schools Program. A review of literature related to effective schools precedes an explanation of seven school effectiveness factors adopted by the…

Studied was the development of the school subject English in the Norwegian compulsory elementary and junior high school system, stressing the period of 1945 to 1970. Historically, the relation of educational reform to the school subject English is described with identification of the influencing forces and mediating agencies. This report is…

Since India gained its independence in 1947, three important commissions have examined the issue of educational reform. The first (in 1948) recommended a vocational emphasis in the intermediate (predegree) courses without sacrificing emphasis on preparation for university education. In 1954, the Secondary Education Commission resulted in the…

The place and importance of implementation in the life cycle of Army training programs is frequently misunderstood. Typically, a program's life cycle is thought of as research, development, and use. If implementation is thought of at all, it is regarded as an event, not a process. Many worthwhile programs have failed because the implementation…