To satisfy the requirements of the British national curriculum and to provide greater emphasis on the teaching of mathematics, science, and technology, city technical colleges (CTCs) have adopted a longer working week and, in several cases, a longer school year. This document examines outcomes of the longer school day and the five-term year, 4…

Issues in understanding organizational change from an interpretive viewpoint are explored in this paper, which discusses two perspectives for viewing organizational responses to their environments: (1) "environment" as an open concept (i.e., how "environment" is defined by participants in a given organization); and (2)…

A historical overview of the development of the British middle school system is presented in this paper, with a focus on the impact of the national curriculum established by the Education Reform Act of 1988. Based on field observation, information is presented on curriculum, the role of head teachers and faculty, parental involvement, and student…

The effects of state educational consolidation policies and decentralizing curriculum reform initiatives on small school districts in New York are examined in this paper, with a focus on identifying patterns of environmental "embeddedness" that may include or exclude small districts from state equalization aid. Methodology involved…

The Center for the Study of Evaluation at the University of California, Los Angeles, collaborated with school site personnel in an attempt to build an on-going, comprehensive, school-based information system useful in instructional decision making and general school renewal. Conducted at a suburban senior high school over an 18-month period, the…

This report on Switzerland is one in a long-established series of educational policy reviews conducted and published by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). The report is divided into three parts. Part 1 "The Examiners' Report," describes and discusses the education system in 6 of the 24 Swiss cantons…

This study examined the impact of attending restructured schools on the achievement and engagement of young adolescents. The restructuring movement is placed within the conceptual framework that favors the development of more communally organized schools, as opposed to the largely bureaucratic model of most American schools. Using a subsample of…

Intended for parents of preschool children with visual or physical disabilities, this reference circular lists organizations offering materials and services at the national level as well as books available from standard commercial outlets. The first section lists 14 organizations providing special format materials (Braille, cassettes, large print,…

An English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) curriculum is presented that was developed and implemented by the Spanish Education Development (SED) Center in Washington, D.C. SED's ESL program, which offers beginning and intermediate instruction during the day and evening, expands from a traditional survival skills base by incorporating a problem solving…

This paper addresses some of the general issues of international cooperation within the context of distance education. Examples of the types of international cooperation are introduced in order to explain some of the pitfalls that can occur when coordinating organizations on an international level. Extensive discussion is undertaken concerning…

This report presents the proceedings from a meeting jointly organized by United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Yugoslavian Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO). Experts from 14 institutions and organizations from 7 countries of Africa, Europe, and North America participated in 4…

Two types of feedback are examined, and their use in controlling the processes of instructional development and improvement are discussed. Closed-loop feedback, the most direct, uses immediate feedback about a process or product to make immediate adjustments in it. Open-loop feedback, in which input cannot be changed immediately, uses feedback to…

This Systems and Exchange Center (SPEC) kit begins with a summary by Virginia Steel of the findings of a survey of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries that was conducted in 1991 to determine the prevalence of the organizational model of access services--i.e., a department or division responsible for the services and operations…

A literature review examined major trends in organizations and training and the ways in which evaluation may help drive training impact. In addition, 3 case studies and 18 interviews were conducted in the United States to study evaluation methods. Recommendations about the use of evaluation for training impact were then formulated, and four Dutch…

During 1968-91, middle schools were the only school type to grow in number, increasing by over 400 percent. Middle school advocates focus on early adolescents' need for developmentally appropriate institutions, but show only a weak historical understanding of the emergence and status of middle schools. Critical factors in early support for the…