This guide explores using Total Quality Management/Developmental System Education (TQM/DSE) as a framework to improve educational outcomes in the classroom. Within the Total Quality paradigm, students and society are viewed as the customers of education; all programs provided at the school focus on meeting customer needs, resulting in improved…

This book demonstrates how academic chairs at institutions of higher education can learn the skills that are essential to their becoming leaders and faculty developers and having a significant impact on their departments. The book assists chairs in building cohesive teams in their departments and facilitates learning and using survival skills. It…

These digests provide information for educators about the nature of cooperation and how cooperative principles can be used to restructure classrooms, administrative hierarchies, and work relationships of all types. Digest 1 describes the competitive, individual, and cooperative interaction patterns and examines the impact of cooperative learning…

This brief review of principles of inclusive educational practices for students with disabilities explains what inclusion is, identifies characteristics of inclusive schools, considers preparation for inclusive schooling, and addresses inclusion policy. Inclusion is seen as reflecting the intent of federal law that children with disabilities be…

This report summarizes the findings of three 5-year federally financed dropout prevention programs for high risk students and their families known as the ABC programs: ALAS (Achievement for Latinos through Academic Success), the Belief Academy, and Check & Connect. The information is based on a comprehensive report called "Staying in…

This study examined how professional learning communities develop, using cross-subject teams within the context of HUMANITAS, a program designed to promote teachers' professional growth and effectiveness by creating a voluntary "community of learners" for teachers and students. Data were gathered from teacher interviews, team…

Trust, respect, and caring are crucial components in achieving or maintaining school effectiveness. This paper presents findings of a case study that examined the ways in which one urban school manifested particular characteristics of community--those of respect, caring, and trust. The one-year case study at an elementary school in Los Angeles…

This biannual review of research describes promising research models that are helping all students, including students with disabilities, manage their own behavior in school settings. The common features of school-wide systems of behavioral support are identified and include: (1) total staff commitment to managing behavior; (2) clearly defined and…

The skills necessary to compete in a fast paced business environment--critical thinking, risk taking, team building, project management, and others--are not and cannot be addressed in the traditional delivery of an undergraduate business course. The Ohio University-Lancaster Management program uses a project based, just-in-time (JIT) approach to…

This digest, based on a larger report of the same title, summarizes principles for improving quality in higher education institutions. Emphasis is on the effect of the principles when they are used holistically to create a culture of academic excellence. The quality principles are based on the conceptual framework of total quality management (TQM)…

This book is intended to assist school administrators, special education teachers, rehabilitation administrators and counselors, case managers, other employment and community living providers, and parents to understand the developing and changing programs at the local community level which provide transitional services for young people with…

This training manual presents a family-centered approach to early childhood special education and demonstrates how a family-centered approach to intervention is an extension of a child-centered approach. The manual offers a "hands on" approach to building relationships between professionals and families that lead to effective intervention. The…

This set of learning modules was developed during a project to deliver workplace literacy instruction to individuals employed in the more than 50 businesses related to the activities the activities of the Port of Baltimore. It is intended to help employees in port businesses develop team building and problem-solving skills. The following topics…

Outcomes of a teacher-teaming program that was implemented among seventh-grade teachers at a Florida middle school are described in this practicum report. Training sessions on effective teaming practices were initiated to address the lack of effective teaming practices among the seventh-grade teachers. Eight seventh-grade teachers participated in…

Ways that both cultural differences and learning styles affect a child's ability to learn and use language are discussed and applied to the situation faced by Native American students. Cultural differences are cited as holding the answer to questions about the Native American student's lack of success on standardized tests and in the American…