This chapter discusses General Systems Theory as it applies to education, classrooms, innovations, and instructional design. The principles of equifinality, open and closed systems, the individual as the key system, hierarchical structures, optimization, stability, cooperation, and competition are discussed, and their relationship to instructional…

Described are characteristics of the school improvement planning and implementation efforts made in the 47 New York State schools that were identified as low-performing in 1985. This report identifies the aspects of the school improvement process which were completed, and offers recommendations concerning appropriate actions for all schools. Data…

Educators have been critized for being unable to develop any firm plans for the use of Australia's Domestic Communications Satellite (AUSSAT). However, conferences, talks, and papers have resulted in some significant achievements. First, it is now possible to raise issues of communications and telecommunications planning at the very highest…

This School Research Newsletter presents the research program of the National Swedish Board of Education (NBE), as adopted by the NBE Board of Directors in June 1982. The successive decisions on decentralization taken in the educational sector since 1976 have led also to a decision to alter the thrust of the research and development work within at…

Any plan to institute student fees for California community colleges should address public concerns about budgetary matters, course repetitions, avocational courses, and courses that are not clearly lower division, while at the same time protecting districts from unanticipated enrollment losses and preserving the right of access to education by…

The inability of many African countries to achieve the rates of growth in education and employment which were forecast may partly reflect the over-optimism which characterized the 1960s, as well as the consequences of the decline in the global economic situation. There is also in Africa, as there is worldwide, a disenchantment with traditional…

The Elementary and Secondary School Improvement Amendments of 1988 (P.L. 100-297) require the U.S. Department of Education to conduct a national longitudinal study of Chapter 1 of the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The department commissioned the selection of experts qualified to provide design suggestions and advice for the national…

The design and implementation of Great Britain's Technical and Vocational Education Initiative (TVEI) provides an opportunity to synthesize planning within a curriculum framework that is common to all learners aged 14-18. It can provide a focus for strategic planning in which learners come first. The process of designing curriculum entitlement…

This guidebook describes the nature and use of an Educational Goals Inventory (EGI) and the interpretation of the collected data. It is designed for use with a self-scoring process, the EGI Software Computer Package. Chapter I contains an overview of educational programming for older adults and a description of the Non-Traditional Educational…

This bulletin aims to identify good practice in the adoption of a strategic approach to developing short courses in work-related nonadvanced further education (WRNAFE) in Great Britain. The focus is on vocational updating and retraining aimed principally at those in employment, usually at full cost to employers/sponsors. The bulletin discusses…

Written to meet the Peace Corps' need for a coherent policy on the use and dissemination of its core curriculum materials and its need for a comprehensive philosophy, the guide contains the philosophy, goals, and policy for Peace Corps training. The following nine sections are included: (1) executive summary; (2) introduction, which describes the…

Intended for regional and in-country Peace Corps staff, this guide contains standards that are the minimum expectations for Peace Corps training worldwide. The introduction sets forth nine assumptions that underlie the use and monitoring of the standards and also contains tabular material that describes how the standards will be used and monitored…

This paper describes the Avondale School District's approach to incorporating clinical supervision within the teacher evaluation process. The development of major teacher appraisal systems, their underlying philosophies, and their characteristics are reviewed. In addition, specific processes and training activities used to develop a district model…

This paper discusses current differences in the nursing education community regarding the roles of associate degree and baccalaureate degree nurses and presents a critique of the "Position Paper on Nursing Roles--Scope and Preparation" issued in 1982 by the National League for Nursing (NLN). After a discussion of the history and…

This document presents a prototype Individual Transition Plan (ITP) process and format for students receiving special education services. Following an overview of the role of transition, a section on the ITP process discusses pre-meeting activities, conducting an ITP meeting, monitoring and evaluating the ITP meeting, and a rationale for the…