I synthesize some of the lessons we have learned about systemic school reform in order and derive two explicit hypotheses about when such reforms are likely to be more and less successful. The first hypothesis focuses on program implementation: to achieve success, any systemic reform must overcome challenges at each stage of the policy-making…

This research investigates the perceptions of first-year Bachelor of Teaching students (primary and secondary) and Diploma of Education students (secondary) about their peer teaching experience in a postgraduate subject called Curriculum and Assessment. Peer teaching is a learner-centred approach to teaching and learning that is intended to…

In early 2003, a Council commissioned a research project involving four secondary schools to get a pupil perspective of the Guidance system. The context for the project was the implementation of the McCrone agreement and, in particular, discussions about the future role of Guidance in secondary and primary, schools. The evidence from the project…

Career and technical educators have long recognized the fact that a highly skilled craftsperson is not necessarily a highly skilled instructor of that craft. In the belief that the key to a productive, efficient workforce lies in high quality training for journeymen and apprentices, the Carpenter's International Training Fund (CITF) partnered with…

The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of recent educational reform efforts in Washington State and to determine what educators believe to be the most important future areas of focus. In particular, the researchers wanted to determine whether school-wide improvement efforts (i.e. School Improvement Plans (SIPs), School Improvement…

WITH A 1962 GRANT FROM THE FORD FOUNDATION FOR THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF A COORDINATED 10-YEAR PROJECT DESIGNED TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE FOREIGN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION IN THE STATE, THE INDIANA LANGUAGE PROGRAM (ILP) PROPOSED, WITH THE COOPERATION OF OTHER STATE AGENCIES AND INSTITUTIONS, TO UPDATE PROGRAM METHODS AND OBJECTIVES IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS AND…

A central problem of practice for professional preparation programs--especially those that are well established and have developed a reputation for doing their job successfully--is to take a careful and critical look at their work at periodic intervals. It is too easy to rest on reputation. And it is also easy to ignore the evolving context for…

Each month, the Literacy Information and Communication System ("LINCS") will feature one of the three LINCS Resource Collections--Basic Skills, Program Management, and Workforce Competitiveness--and introduce research-based resources that practitioners can use in their adult and family literacy programs and classrooms. This edition features the…

We surveyed psychology alumni (N = 78) about (a) their preparedness and competency on 54 areas of workforce readiness, (b) changes since graduation on 33 adjectives describing emotional states and personality qualities, and (c) suggestions for universities about how to provide opportunities that enhance workforce success. Among the highest rated…

In this article, the author considers a topic that is not talked about much: the working conditions of business communication teachers. In 1990, a special issue of "Business Communication Quarterly" focused on stress in this field, and it identified unstable academic appointments and the lack of departmental support as two main causes.…

This study explores action research as a professional development strategy to improve interprofessional collaboration in a school division team focused on supporting students with a variety of learning and behavioural needs. Occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, a psychologist, and a social worker worked together to learn more…

The Florida College and Career Readiness Initiative is a statewide policy that mandates college placement testing of 11th-graders who meet high school graduation criteria but are unlikely to meet college readiness criteria. Students who score below college-ready on the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT) are required to take math and…

The cultural competence of 13 parenting education programs for Latino families with young children was examined in this study. Based on our analyses, we make several recommendations for improving the cultural competence and effectiveness of parenting education programs for Latino families with young children. Specifically, we recommend the…

This article describes the development of Virginia Improves Teaching and Learning (VITAL) as a statewide data warehouse focused on teacher education. The VITAL system is a longitudinal data system that tracks individuals from their entry into teacher preparation programs to employment in public schools. The system goes far beyond typical…

Located within the Navajo Nation, Ganado Public Schools are committed to improving educational services through a long-term district restructuring process. This process involves: (1) strategic planning and envisioning sessions that generate concrete details of future schools; (2) reorganization of personnel to support curriculum development and…