This study examined institutional researchers' perceptions regarding their effectiveness in influencing institutional policy changes, the factors that make institutional researchers effective in the policy arena, and researchers perspectives regarding job-related rewards; challenges encountered in seeking to establish influential roles in decision…

This paper describes a study of a collegial teacher education program aimed at helping student teachers learn interdependent instructional skills and professional behaviors which support the development of authentic collegiality before they experienced the isolation many teachers perceive. The program arranged an environment where student teachers…

This study examined the effects of using the Judicious Discipline (JD) program in one student teacher's classroom. The student teacher administered anonymous student surveys on discipline to his high school social studies class. He then introduced and discussed freedom, justice, and equality with his students and examined the concepts of rights…

This lesson guide is one in a series for teachers and counselors on teaching problem-solving interventions and coping skills to troubled youth. The series is aimed at training adolescents to succeed while empowering them to avoid the social pressure to drop out of school. The goal of this guide is to convince students they need an education to…

This report discusses how the Arizona Board of Regents, which has governing authority over the state's three public universities, dealt with the inability of the universities to respond to new societal needs in a timely manner; a major impediment was felt to be tenure. After a series of meetings of administrators and faculty leaders, the Board…

This manual is a how-to-do-it guide to building coalitions of health and human service agencies, organizations, businesses, churches, and other community-based groups for collaborative research, planning, and action to improve resident health and quality of life. Most of the information provided was discovered and developed during the 4-year life…

Knowledge and skills needed by lay participants in community development (CD) were proposed by 14 consultants around 10 topical areas. One hundred knowledge and skills statements resulted. The importance of these statements was judged by CD youth leaders and adult specialists. Judgments were factor analyzed, and nine factors emerged. (Author/SSH)

One of five articles in the section on the "Promise and Purpose of Professional Development Schools," this article examines challenges that arise when preservice teacher education occurs mainly within professional development schools (PDS). Suggests that for PDS to promote reform, partners must set aside preconceived notions and share in decision…

Preschoolers, first, and second graders in multiage groups learned about space along with learning about language and report writing in a semester-long unit. Participation in project decision making resulted in a high degree of ownership by students. (ET)

Examined how curricular and instructional decisions are negotiated on interdisciplinary teams. Explored how district and state forces and schools' administrations affect schools' ability to change, and what supports are needed to initiate innovation. The interdisciplinary team was identified as an important link between school level reform and…

Describes how school districts in Alberta (Canada) are successfully applying principles of total quality management (TQM). Overviews TQM principles and applications in educational settings including creating a constancy of purpose for educational improvement, eliminating student grading, managing a complete system, focusing on stakeholder…

Describes how the principal of a predominantly minority elementary school in Chicago (Illinois) took control of the school from local gangs and from the Local School Council, emphasizing her leadership and work to bring the faculty together through her active involvement and teachers' participative decision making. (SM)

Many teachers use cooperative learning methods during instruction but face the problem of aligning evaluation techniques with that instruction. Described are methods to include cooperative problem solving in evaluation, including strategies to identify possible grading schemes, to make appropriate problem choices, and to evaluate individual versus…

Examines factors which enhance teacher empowerment, noting that site-based management is often discussed concurrently with empowerment; describes successes with teacher empowerment via interdisciplinary teams of students and faculty at the Virginia Governor's School for the Gifted in the Humanities and in the Visual and Performing Arts. (SM)

A survey of 116 elementary school and secondary school teachers in 1 school district examined the influences of different organizational and psychological factors on teachers' willingness to participate in decision making at the school level. Teachers vary in willingness to participate, but teacher-principal working relationships exert significant…