There is no question that organization development (OD) scholars and practitioners are confronted with new and increasingly complex challenges in helping their clients cope with a tidal wave of continuous change. The questions they face today focus on the impact of leadership, technology, globalization, and the new generations entering the…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the benefits and challenges of using a virtual learning community (VLC) as a vehicle for workforce development. This paper argues that VLCs provide a flexible vehicle for workforce development. However, workplace realities may lead to unexpected challenges for participants wanting exploit the…

A systemic approach to education reform emerged in the 1990s as one way of addressing policy fragmentation. This volume presents findings of a study that sought to: expand knowledge of state approaches to systemic education reform; examine district, school, and teacher responses to state reform policies in a small number of reforming schools and…

During the last 50 years, American higher education has steadily grown in scale, wealth, and, stature. Despite its current status as the world's education superpower, however, it has begun to encounter public disapproval and consumer resistance. Colleges and universities have been able to ignore productivity concerns because a college education…

This document describes six different approaches to outcomes assessments, approaches that are named in the titles of chapters 2 through 7. The chapters and authors are as follows: "Perspectives on Assessment Policy and Practice" (Bragg, Harmon); "Total Quality Management" (Bragg); "Assessing Student Success" (Harmon);…

This book, which is designed to be used either as a tool for improving one-on-one on-the-job training (OJT) conducted by supervisors or as a reference guide for performance specialists and instructional designers, explains how to establish and operate a comprehensive OJT program. The following topics are covered in the book's 11 chapters: reaping…

This volume offers 36 papers on higher education fundraising. Major topics treated are the development function, foundations of fund raising, annual giving, major gifts, campaigns, corporate and foundation support, special constituencies, managing development programs, special considerations for institutions, and special considerations for the…

The Saturation Project was an innovative 3-year grant program that was planned by the National Association for Public School Adult Educators (NAPSAE) but never actually implemented. The grant was intended to be given to the McAlester, Oklahoma, school district in 1961 in order to demonstrate the contribution of adult education to the overall…

In response to standardized test scores that did not accurately reflect student learning, Franklin Lower Elementary School in Meadville, Mississippi, began a process of restructuring to become a developmentally appropriate school by using hands-on materials, focusing on whole language, and emphasizing the development of thinking skills. To…

Selected successful literacy coalitions were examined to identify key issues and trends in coalition building. The six key issues identified (focus and functions, funding, governance, membership, key figures, and evaluation) were used as a framework to review the early efforts, current activities, and future visions of literacy coalitions…

Case studies examined the context and impact of training in three factories: a bakery, a circuit assembly plant, and a plant that produces microchips. Cookie-Foods, Inc. used Statistical Process Control (SPC) and a course on problem solving to increase the operators' productivity. Impact of the SPC program was limited, because workers who…

The Next Steps Conference was one of a series of meetings held for the purpose of increasing the capacity of family members, professionals, and other interested citizens to work together on behalf of children who have serious emotional disorders and to shape an agenda for improved services. The conference was organized around four major issues:…

Producing goods and services of high quality is not expensive, but correcting poor quality costs U.S. companies as much as 20 percent of sales revenues annually. One survey reported that only 1 out of 300 U.S. companies involved management and engineering staff in quality training. The tendency is to have a quality control department, separate…

The Organizational Communication Profile (OCP) provides a way to survey organization member attitudes, perceptions, expectations, and degree of satisfaction with the manner in which information is handled within the organization. Although the OCP is relatively easy to administer and interpret, the instrument has a complex design and provides…

Abstracts of the following 52 papers are included in this document: "Development of a Computer-Automated Mechanical Testing System" (Aman); "Bringing Industry High-Tech into the School Curriculum" (Andrews); "Fostering Excellence in Industrial Technology Faculty and Programs" (Bensen); "World Markets and…