The current status of preventive intervention programs designed to reduce the school readiness gap for young children at environmental risk is examined in the context of developmental science. A review of program effectiveness suggests that future progress in this area should be grounded in a knowledge base that adopts the framework of…

This paper presents a learning unit that addresses quality design in relational data models. The focus on modeling allows the learning to span analysis, design, and implementation enriching pedagogy across the systems development life cycle. Thriving Systems Theory presents fifteen choice properties that convey design quality in models integrating…

The first computer-assisted career planning systems were developed in the late 1960s and were based soundly on the best of career development and decision-making theory. Over the years, this tradition has continued as the technology that delivers these systems' content has improved dramatically and as they have been universally accepted as…

Over the last decade, a growing consensus has developed that for our nation's students to succeed in twenty-first-century economic and civic life, high school graduation is no longer sufficient. Labor-market analyses have shown that high-wage positions increasingly require postsecondary education and training, and students must now graduate…

When school district leaders talk about the potential benefits of "bring your own device" (BYOD) programs, they often mention budget savings and promoting personalized mobile learning. They note that BYOD can expand the boundaries of learning beyond the classroom, however, not many of these leaders mention enhanced student collaboration…

Facilitative leadership, in the context of whole school development for greater inclusive practices offers a positive contribution to the discourse of school leadership. This article presents an exploration of the development of greater inclusive practices across an early years service and an elementary school that are both adopting a whole school…

School system leaders never know when disaster may strike. Having a plan in place to protect vital data and systems is crucial. School system leaders need to be actively involved in crisis preparedness, planned response, and recovery to ensure student and staff safety and to make certain that all important operations, services, processes, and…

This article presents the unique approach to university-community partnerships developed and practiced at Michigan State University (MSU). We have established a model of campus-community partnerships that builds a wide-reaching system of networks connecting the university to communities. Our approach is "developmental",…

Discussion of societal and technological changes in the 20th century and the resulting paradigm shift focuses on the need to develop a systems view of education. The genesis of the systems view is explained; an example of a possible systems model is presented; and applications in education are considered. (LRW)

The integration of concepts and contributions from learning theorists, media specialists, and teaching practitioners, optimized within a framework of selected system strategies derived from military management programs, can help resolve concerns for educational improvement and accountability and influence the utilization of technology enabling…

Proposes a systemically valid testing system that induces curricular and instructional changes in education systems to foster the development of the cognitive traits that tests are designed to measure. Analyzes test characteristics and outlines the principles of a systemically valid testing system. (FMW)

Discusses the nature of and steps required in building an expert system. Includes comments by students given an assignment to choose a suitable topic and develop a small expert system related to that topic, as well as favorable faculty comments on the strategy. Also includes a student-developed expert system on rock-blasting. (JN)

Describes the systems approach (the Information-Based School Development Project) used by a large education system in Australia for school review and development, involving a research and a service component to help schools identify, obtain, and organize information they need for their own decision-making. Relates two case studies. (SR)

It is important for all Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) members to understand the ways society is changing as people evolve deeper into the information age, and to recognize that these changes require a change in paradigm for education and training systems to be most effective in meeting the needs of individuals…

This paper presents several brief papers about the process of systemic change. These are: (1) Step-Up-To-Excellence: A Protocol for Navigating Whole-System Change in School Districts by Francis M. Duffy; (2) The Guidance System for Transforming Education by Charles M. Reigeluth; (3) The Schlechty Center For Leadership In School Reform by Monica…