The revised National Policy on Education in Nigeria is discussed, with attention to objectives of special education, policy guidelines, and suggestions for effective policy implementation. Issues include funding, limited definitions, and lack of a legal document to clarify service regulations and the legal basis for services for disabled persons.…

Chico, California, schools adopted multimedia distance learning using ISDN (integrated services digital network) to resolve a serious problem: the shortage of well-qualified science and math teachers. Problems encountered with using the equipment included audio signal difficulties, user-unfriendly conferencing equipment, stationary cameras,…

"Tissue rejection," rejection of an instructional innovation because of poor fit, is analyzed to demonstrate the problematic nature of appropriate information collection and the need for ethnographic "means analysis" to inform project design. Tissue rejection is attributed to informal orders within a host educational environment and communication…

Describes a long-term inservice program aimed at restructuring one elementary school's literacy program. Focuses on observed changes that occurred as teachers became active participants in staff development sessions designed around effective change principles. (SR)

Documents and examines the changes in five teachers' classrooms during a transition from basal reading programs to literature-based reading instruction. Reports problems with such a transition as well as benefits observed throughout the study. (HB)

Identifies some issues emerging from Barnet College's involvement in the United Kingdom's National Pilot appraisal Scheme for Further Education. Explores varying perceptions of both appraisers and appraisees, focusing on individual staff member and special interest group reactions. Only 14 percent of staff surveyed felt that the process was…

This article explores the thesis that colleges and universities can leverage desktop computing power to address campus administration needs. It describes a study of administrative computing needs at the University of Chicago; identifies roadblocks to effective use of desktop computing, such as inadequate computing knowledge; and gives…

Like most other reform endeavors, the current restructuring movement may fail. Advocates often oversimplify restructuring, overlooking serious underlying issues, such as the politics of organizational change, and ingrained U.S. schooling characteristics, including inclusiveness, deep structure, knowledge industry influences, growth of state power,…

Although politicians and educational leaders are pressured to devise quick-fix educational reforms, significant change takes time, and reform efforts may not be fully measurable for 10 years or more. Case study of a California school district given 10 uninterrupted years to develop and implement an outcome-based instructional model suggests that…

Reviews progress in the establishment of a nonprofit preschool at an orphanage in Bucharest, Romania. Topics include recruitment of volunteers, collection of supplies, integration of neighborhood and orphanage children, the use of Piaget's learning-through-play philosophy, children's responses, staff training, and current activities. (AC)

Examines definitions and goals of the field of performance technology. Topics discussed include a model for visualizing performance technology; needs assessment; front-end analysis; the design and development of relevant and cost-effective training/educational interventions; testing; implementation; evaluation; and job aids. (LRW)

Discusses the benefits of home visits by teachers before a child enters preschool or kindergarten and first-grade programs. Presents questions a teacher should ask concerning the logistics of implementing home visits in their program. (HTH)

Reviews "Head Start: The Inside Story of America's Most Successful Educational Experiment. (Edward Zigler and Susan Muenchow), an insider's account of the early days of the preschool program, and how the program emerged conceptually and politically. (HTH)

Attributes one elementary school's rising test scores to the principal's introduction of a computer-based curriculum and integrated learning system; a neighboring elementary school's laboratory approach proved unsuccessful. For technology-based change to work, the principal must understand the technology, know the school's instructional and…

A positive codified working relationship between the principal and the school board is crucial to a school's good health. Many "overseas" schools have a long history of management difficulties resulting in the constant change of school heads and domination of short-term solutions when long-term planning is needed. Suggestions are made…