At the Purdue University School of Technology (PST) at Columbus, Indiana, the Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy was used in the computer laboratories to better meet student needs. A customer satisfaction survey was conducted to gather data on lab facilities, lab assistants, and hardware/software; other sections of the survey included…

A study identified characteristics and motivating factors that influenced licensed practical nurses (LPNs) to participate in a registered nursing (RN) upgrading program at a hospital in western Canada. A literature review considered the concepts of motivation, participation, adult learning, and life transitions and explored a variety of models and…

This state profile addresses the condition of education in Utah's rural and small schools, placing public schooling and rurality into their social and economic contexts. The "working definition" of "rural" is emphasized, that is, if people served by a school district perceive themselves as rural residents, then the school…

This directory contains information about schools that are working to improve student performance through the school-based management process "Onward to Excellence." Over 600 schools were sent questionnaires asking for detailed information about activities using "Onward to Excellence" and about results of that work. Data…

This manual provides step-by-step directions for developing an inservice staff training program in a rehabilitation facility. The manual is organized in five chapters. Following an introduction that defines inservice training, the first chapter discusses inservice problem identification procedures (conduct a needs assessment and determine present…

A nine-member Future of Teaching Committee, appointed by the State Board of Education in October of 1985, suggests a sweeping set of recommendations to provide 20,000 new teacher replacements in Michigan's public school classrooms in the next several years. An overview is presented of the Committee's recommendations to the Governor, the…

Alternative models of rural school improvement consortia were identified through a review of research literature in order to determine what existing models were applicable to rural school consortia in the northwest United States. Organization structure of rural school collaboratives and characteristics associated with successful functioning were…

The Ways to Improve Schools and Education Project (WISE) seeks to enhance school staff knowledge and skills through appropriate staff development adapted from local business and industry. Project WISE FY84 is an outgrowth of project accomplishments in FY83, which included a pilot test of collaborative school-business partnerships at three sites.…

PRISM, the Pittsburgh Research-Based Instructional Supervisory Model, was initiated when the superintendent convened an Instructional Leadership Committee (ILC) to develop a plan for improving instruction and instructional leadership within the district. The Pittsburgh Public Schools' Learning Research Development Center then conducted a…

Papers are presented which were generated by this workshop on school improvement. Both session and panel presentations are included on school effectiveness research, curriculum alignment for school improvement, a school climate improvement project, the McRel school improvement program, Pennsylvania's long-range planning for school improvement, an…

Drawing upon research findings on school effectiveness, the McREL School Improvement Program was designed to examine critically such factors as school leadership, building organization, school climate and environment, and how citizens and parents are encouraged to participate in raising morale and effectiveness. Focus is upon instructional…

This is Volume I of a two-volume report of a study on the exchange and use of knowledge for school improvement in three paired educational systems in Boston, Massachusetts. The pairings, which involved the collaboration of a college/university with one or more of the Boston public schools, were among 26 such collaborative arrangements mandated by…

This is the Executive Summary of a 1979-81 study of factors and conditions that affect the exchange and use of knowledge for school improvement in three collaborative systems in which a college/university was paired with one or more public schools in Boston, Massachussetts. The pairings were among 26 such collaborative arrangements mandated bv…

In 1984 the General Assembly of South Carolina passed the Education Improvement Act of 1984--the "New Approach", a comprehensive educational reform measure. The following action initiatives were mandated: (1) increase academic standards; (2) strengthen student discipline and attendance in the schools; (3) provide more effective use of…

The Centering-Venturing workshop program at Davidson College in North Carolina, designed to help students identify personal strengths and skills, is reviewed. The program includes an orientation meeting at which connections and integrations between different facets of self and between self and environment are presented, and four workshop sessions…