Three research questions are addressed in this paper: (1) What does school improvement mean in relation to the context of a research project? (2) Given particular developments in European society and the nature of primary research data, what should schools be like in the year 2001? (3) What steps are being taken in research and development to…

In 1988, Midlands Technical College (MTC) launched a comprehensive institutional effectiveness initiative involving two primary components, planning and evaluation. Planning at MTC is composed of a strategic planning cycle and a complementary operational planning cycle. Strategic planning, conducted in two-year cycles, establishes the essential…

Decentralization efforts in Australia after the publishing of the "Better Schools" report in 1987 are described in this paper. An overview of the implementation process concludes that the transition is halfway completed. However, the process has encountered strong resistance. Authority to determine the means, but not ends, was devolved…

This paper examines current practice for youth at risk of not successfully making the transition to adulthood in six urban secondary schools. It describes the major elements of at-risk policies and programs and raises concerns about the strategies currently in place at the sites. The following strategies are discussed: (1) curriculum and…

This staff report summarizes testimony on competitiveness and the quality of the American work force. The testimony was received during 9 days of hearings held between September 23 and December 3, 1987, that featured 52 witnesses including federal and state officials, educators, business and labor leaders, and scholars. Contents comprise prepared…

Recent studies on educational effectiveness in the United States have criticized deficiencies of the educational system, rather than acknowledging its achievements. The eight characteristics of excellent schools described in "Search for Excellence" by Peters and Waterman (1982) provide a comparative framework for an assessment of organizational…

This issue of "Network News" focuses on efforts to remedy the dropout problem. The following programs' common goal is not only to retain students through graduation, but to ensure that they acquire the skills necessary to take their place as productive members of society: (1) the Classroom Partners Project, a collaborative effort between…

Guided by interpretive ethnographic methods and by instructional leadership concepts, this comparative study of secondary principals in Japan and America discovers characteristics of excellent principals and examines their values in relation to dominant cultural themes. The investigation applies anthropologist Clifford Goertz's assumptions (1973,…

The Maryland State Board of Community Colleges'"Performance Profile (Spring 1986)" presents detailed data comparing the absolute and relative performance of individual state community colleges by such measures as student satisfaction with instruction, employment rates, licensing examination pass rates, and transfer goal achievement. An…

This progress report of ethnographic research on instructional leadership focuses on a new elementary school principal's role formation in relation to teaching staff and district organizational culture. The project, which examines the prevailing notion of instructional leadership in school effectiveness literature, reveals a gap in perspective…

Students at Little Saskatchewan School (Manitoba, Canada) are not being adequately prepared for the future by their school, family, or community. While students in the lower grades perform adequately, the 1986 achievement of 9th graders fell to the bottom 10% of all Canadian students. While 90% of all Manitoba's students complete high school,…

Research and practice have shown that staff development is the key to the successful implementation of any effective schools project. Staff development is defined as the ongoing, job-related, research-based activity provided for employees to maintain and improve their competencies. Part 1 of this paper outlines components (such as district-level…

The Arlington, Washington, School District--a mostly rural district with enrollment of 2,790--conducted a survey of its public using both blanket mailing and random sampling procedures in order to compare the views of the total population with the views of the typically small percentage who mail back a questionnaire. The questionnaire contained 29…

This book is the final outcome of a research project begun in 1981 by the International Institute for Educational Planning under the title, "Planning and Management of Formal and Nonformal Education within Integrated Rural Development Projects." Part 1 reports the concluding 1984 Nepal seminar to pinpoint the real role of education as a…

Adults in a multi-ethnic, small, rural school district were surveyed to determine their evaluation and expectations of district schools. Of the 301 respondents, 72% were Jicarilla Apache/other Indian, 14% Spanish/Mexican, and 14% Anglo; most were aged 19-45; 81% had completed high school; 76% were employed. Respondents rated the elementary, high,…