This paper presents the basic premises of Solution Focused Brief Therapy, a model of intervention based on systems theory, and how this approach is uniquely suited to the needs of school psychologists within a public school setting. Five key principles are described: (1) complaints are interaction based; (2) change in one part of the system leads…

This brief document summarizes the content of a paper by Sharon L. Kagan, entitled "Excellence in Early Childhood Education: Defining Characteristics and Next-Decade Strategies," that analyzes the field of early childhood education and defines excellence in terms of quality, equality, and integrity. The critical component of quality is discussed…

Policies and procedures for student achievement within a provincial system are described and compared to a theoretical model of systemwide policy devolution. Student evaluation activity is examined at the following levels: province, district, school, department, and classroom. Methodology involves analysis of documents from four elementary and…

The application of a social theory perspective to an analysis of the concept of restructuring is the purpose of this report. Restructuring is a conjunctive concept that involves changes in a school district's pattern of rules, roles, relationships, and results. A systemic viewpoint examines the reciprocal interactions between structure and process…

This transcript of a conference presentation describes a motivational model of alcohol use that shows the interrelationship between the various factors that affect drinking. First, a flow diagram is presented and described that shows how complex biological, psychological, and environmental variables contribute to a person's motivation for…

This book proposes treating teacher evaluation as a set of processes aimed primarily at helping teachers develop professionally. The book opens with a review of current practices and problems in evaluation, then outlines basic theoretical concepts and describes some operational models. The Developmental Teacher Evaluation Kit (DeTEK) is introduced…

Although both the products and processes of technology have provided many means for better and faster learning at a lower cost, technology has not been implemented enough in elementary and secondary schools to make a difference in overall productivity. This is due to a basic contradiction between the organizational structure of today's schools and…

This essay is a companion document to a statistical study of student dropouts conducted by the San Diego City Schools. Various definitions of dropout are presented, as well as a discussion of types of dropout or attrition rates: (1) annual dropout rate; (2) enrollment ratio dropout rate; (3) cumulative tracking dropout rate; and (4) estimated…

Findings of two independently conducted longitudinal studies conducted in follow-up to the development and implementation of pre-clinical cancer prevention courses at different medical schools are discussed. While required to meet common contract objectives, each program was designed and integrated relative to content and instructional methods to…

A model for the development of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) is presented for the college classroom teacher. The following common software design models that have been helpful in developing CAI models are briefly reviewed: composite or structural design model, Jackson model, META stepwise refinement model, and higher-order software model.…

Interrelationships among policy issues facing education in 1978 and 1979 are explored in this paper. The policy issues covered are based on over 1,000 concerns raised during an issue identification project that involved reviewing documents and interviewing educators. These concerns were sorted into categories in a process that led inductively to a…

This book is intended to provide practicing school library media specialists and students in professional degree-granting programs with both a conceptual framework and practical approaches to the curriculum-related responsibilities of the school library media program. The responsibilities discussed include both library and information skills…

This naturalistic study of teacher educators explored the differences between the attitudes of methods teachers and instructional development (ID) teachers toward ID and teacher education. Three faculty members were interviewed in depth, and brief questionnaires were sent to seven faculty members in each of the two fields; responses were received…

The need for a "systems" approach to school-based social competency training has been highlighted by a national commission and the U.S. Department of Education. The Pupil Involvement/Problem-Solving with People (PI/PSP) curriculum has adapted numerous, well-researched social compentency training models targeted for elementary classroom use.…

Training managers increasingly are being asked to document the cost effectiveness of their programs. A cost-benefit analysis program was implemented at the Anchor Hocking Corporation that may be useful for other organizations. The cost-benefit analysis at Anchor Hocking is part of the training system design. The complete training system design…