This book argues that all school efforts should be focused on results. It elaborates on the simple conditions that favor results, briefly discusses the theory behind the conditions, and demonstrates, using examples from schools, how other schools can begin to successfully replicate the conditions. Following the introduction, chapters 1-3 describe…

Many school districts and schools find that they have an incomplete understanding of site-based management (SBM). This guidebook provides a systemwide approach to site-based management, using SBM as a strategy for school improvement and increased student success rather than for managing the status quo. It identifies nine essential perspectives and…

School librarians are educators no less than teachers and administrators, and their roles grow ever more important. In most schools, however, there is a gap between the ideal influential role of the school librarian and the actual role of the practicing librarian. The book addresses overcoming this gap for secondary school librarians, not from the…

The School Effectiveness Training Program (SET) and the Secondary School Development Program (SSDP) were school-improvement programs developed by the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), a state teachers' organization, and Research for Better Schools (RBS), a regional educational laboratory. Coordinating councils played pivotal roles in both…

A problem exists in the lack of assessment coordination between monolingual psychologists and bilingual psychologists when working with language minority children referred for evaluation of special needs. This practicum was designed to improve the psychological assessment coordination between monolingual English psychologists and the bilingual…

This planning guide presents an interdisciplinary team approach for improving career and vocational programs for youths with disabilities. The approach is an interdisciplinary planning process that involves identifying those things desired for students (best practices) and then working to integrate those things within the current continuum of…

This project identified models, practices, and existing projects, both in Indiana and throughout the United States, that demonstrated partnership efforts between families/home (particularly those families having students with disabilities) and educators/schools. This report presents a literature review on the nature, extent, effectiveness, and…

This information sheet summarizes requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act regarding inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classrooms and lists activities and support systems that have been found successful in fostering such inclusion. Suggestions are given in the areas of attitudes and beliefs,…

This book tells the story of the 1989-90 basketball season at Northfield High School, a small rural school in Wabash County, Indiana. That year, Steve McClure began his fourth season as varsity basketball coach at Northfield with a 56-14 record. For McClure, basketball was more than team play; basketball was an integral part of personal growth for…

Noting that although the benefits of working closely with parents and families are widely recognized, many schools do not enjoy close partnerships with their communities, this document describes the Taking Stock program, which is intended to help develop more extensive, creative, and responsive strategies for collaboration. The goals of the…

This manual is designed to assist members of Michigan Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams to be in compliance with state and federal laws relating to programs and services for students with disabilities. It begins by briefly explaining changes in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act relating to the IEP and parent participation.…

This packet is designed to help in the development of collaborative efforts for educational improvement. "Working Together with Others To Enhance Programs and Resources" (from the Center for Mental Health in Schools) is the first selection. This discussion emphasizes that effectiveness is the real point of collaboration, and it explores the…

This book offers a theoretical framework and practical guidance for creating professional learning communities in schools. It proposes to renew the capacity of the school as a whole to produce positive results for all children. Part 1, "Building Professional Learning Communities: The Cornerstones," discusses the concepts and assumptions…

Collaborative learning is receiving increased attention within educational environments. With increasing use of technology to support collaborative techniques it is critical that existing research in this area is expanded. This study was initiated to examine and explore the perceptions of students relative to experiences within two types of…

A team of graduate students and educational administration professors, as part of a field-based doctoral program, discovered the "split and fit" culture during an evaluation of the school's Continuous Progress Primary Program (CPPP). According to Pascale (1990), "split and fit" can work to an organization's benefit. Fit…