The New Jersey Education Association's School Effectiveness Training is helping to solve the problems of urban schools. The NJEA approach--developing building-wide consensus, planning, and commitment to make the instructional process work--is not only taking root in New Jersey but is spreading to other states. (Author/SJL)

Use of a self-help tape program as part of a campus telephone counseling service is discussed. Most frequently requested tapes are presented to illustrate the primary concerns of callers. Data indicate that the program is a well-used mode for obtaining mental and physical health information. (Author)

Current approaches to helping students learn, chiefly in Britain and involving groups rather than individuals, are reviewed and related to research on learning. Four issues are explored: learning and studying; problems of subject and context; change, autonomy and the learner; and the relationship between research and development. (Author/JMD)

A group-contingency behavior game significantly decreased disruptive classroom behavior after five weeks. The classroom observers gradually phased themselves out of the program, while training the teacher to continue the game unaided. Further analysis of the relative influences of peer pressure and competition v social reinforcement is needed. (CP)

Reviews instructional design issues for electronic performance support systems and outlines strategies for developing an effective system for a given work setting. Discusses overall design, the information database, the advisory and instructional components, and access to applications software. (AEF)

Summarizes the changes in student achievement scores from 313 schools that completed an improvement cycle and were accredited by the North Central Association (NCA) in 1999-2001. Concludes that the NCA Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (CASI) process offers a high likelihood of improvement in student achievement. (AUTH/KP)

The article reports on 2 Minnesota Educational Effectiveness Project studies on the relationship between school effectiveness variables and attitudes/achievement of 2,604 students in general and 758 students with mild disabilities. Results did not support the idea that general efforts at school improvement will lead to improved outcomes for…

Examines the role of training for improving the performance of people in ways that both they and their organizations value, focusing on what the true worth of training is and can be. Proposes a model for calculating return-on-investment (ROI) in training. Presents a case study of its application within an operational context at a bank. (Contains…

Describes two historical changes that enlarged and reorganized higher learning--the reading-writing revolution in Socrates' time and the campus revolution two thousand years later. Highlights the signs of the third revolution of improvement in access and quality. Discusses access proposals that can also improve quality and quality proposals that…

This chapter extends the discussion of the Baldrige framework in the preceding chapter by highlighting the eleven lessons learned from Baldrige best-practice organizations. (Contains 6 notes.)

This article explores the central role that description of experience, on the part of both teacher and students, plays in reflective practice. In particular, it highlights the power of students' description of their own learning as revealed to teachers in dialogue, a process I call "descriptive feedback." Descriptive feedback is neither…

This article describes a 34-week pilot project aimed at improving health care service delivery for adolescents by offering youth a distinct role as advisory board members who help shape policy, provide feedback, guidance, and direction to a school-based health center (SBHC) program in Boston. Freshmen were recruited to participate in a Youth…

What are the characteristics of professional development that improve teaching practice? This report addresses this question, using data from the National Evaluation of the Eisenhower Professional Development Program. The Eisenhower program is part of the federal government's efforts to support education reform based on high standards. The success…

This article focuses on data-based decision making at the school level and provides guidelines for principals. Necessary prior conditions, methods for developing a data-oriented culture, and expected outcomes are discussed. By using data, administrators can analyze programmatic decisions and promote empowerment of staff.

Pre-K Now was created as a part of a major grant-making strategy of The Pew Charitable Trusts to assist national and state leaders to design and implement sound, research-based policies that support voluntary access to high-quality pre-K for all three- and four-year-old children in the United States. Pre-K Now's vision is a nation in which every…