This paper reports results of a research study linked to the effort of preparing teachers involved in literacy programs for a large adult population of non-native speakers of English in the state of Texas. Because of a state-initiated plan in Texas, the "Indicators of Program Quality for Adult Education and Literacy," extensive…

New Zealand education underwent reform in 1989. The first seven years of education reform were marked by drastic systemic change in the administrative system coupled with very few support links or services for schools. The school principals were cast primarily as middle managers, which lessened their focus on the educational aspect of their role.…

The School-Community Health Alliance for Rural Practitioners (SCHARP) was planned and implemented to address the severe health education and service problems faced by school children and citizens of rural America. Small rural school and communities lack the resources, expertise, and leverage to influence public policy to address these needs. This…

As states transfer more responsibility for education decisions to local school systems, effective leadership at the local level is essential. This report presents the Southern Regional Educational Board (SREB) model for leadership development, as practiced by the SREB Leadership Academy. Since 1991, teams from 12 school systems in the southern…

The most critical variable for school success is the leadership behavior of the school principal. However, the principal's role is becoming increasingly complex. This book offers suggestions for the beginning principal. Each chapter is geared to help new principals develop personal plans for professional development and improvement. Following the…

This study surveyed college faculty about the establishment of professional development schools (PDSs) to raise the status of teaching as a profession and transform teacher education. A total of 58 faculty attending a conference sponsored by the Holmes Group Initiative on the development and implementation of PDSs completed a survey on the…

Self-evaluation requires teachers to have an ability to systematically reflect on their own pedagogical activities; action research supports and helps teachers in this process. This article explores the use of action research by teachers to improve both their own expertise and their educational environment. The article begins with a discussion of…

Counselors who disregard a client's cultural context are unlikely to interpret a client's behavior accurately. The same behavior across cultures might have a different interpretation, just as different behaviors might have the same interpretation. Therefore, developing multicultural awareness is essential for all counselors to accurately interpret…

Nearly all school reforms, regardless of their scope or intended target, share a number of characteristics. This report reviews the essential elements of planning, implementing, and sustaining school reform and presents eight key lessons to guide prospective reformers. The lessons are drawn from 12 major studies of education reform funded by the…

CityMatCH is a national organization of urban maternal and child health programs and leaders. In 1995, CityMatCH sponsored a conference at which urban maternal and child health leaders from city and county health departments across the country came together for professional development and networking. This report of highlights from the conference…

During the mid- to late-1990s, economic downturns, outmigration of residents, and school closures in Nova Scotia contributed to a lack of movement among school administrators and thus a bottleneck of candidates seeking promotion to the principalship. This paper presents findings of a study that identified the professional-development needs of…

Since the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 has gone into effect, many libraries are evaluating and improving their library services for people with disabilities. There are nearly 110,000 children in Missouri who receive some type of special education assistance because of physical, mental or emotional impairments. Through an anonymous…

This directory provides current information about over 750 funding opportunities open to Americans interested in structured or independent study abroad. The directory is divided into three separate sections: a descriptive list of financial aid programs established to support study and training abroad; an annotated bibliography of directories…

The plan to implement a professional portfolio policy in the Seven Oaks School Division, Winnipeg, Canada, will be perceived and lived by teachers in various ways. Their experiences will be colored by their understandings of the theories behind the use of portfolios as an alternative form of evaluation, their interpretations of the change, and…

This book, the 14th yearbook of the American Education Finance Association (AEFA), provides a review and appraisal of the "educational perestroika" that has occurred over the past decade, both in the United States and in other developed countries. Rather than assessing the outcomes of a decade of educational reform, it examines the present and…