Provides guidelines for replicating promising parent-involvement programs from research in schools. Setting goals and choosing programs carefully to match these goals are vital in assuring that programs live up to expectations. Successful programs are comprehensive, collaborative, and adaptable; have ongoing training and technical assistance; and…

Reports on a study that examined changes, measured by pre- and postconcept maps, in preservice teachers' conceptions of teacher planning associated with a year-long general methods course. Conceptions on premaps differed by certification level. Conceptions on postmaps differed by course instructor. Qualitative shifts in responses are also noted.…

Despite expansion in participation, Austrian higher education remains somewhat elitist. However, concepts of efficiency, strategic planning, deregulation, and performance evaluation are creating pressure for policy change. Inadequate admissions policies, overcrowding, and high dropout rates need to be addressed. (Author/MSE)

Adaptation of Bolman and Deal's conceptual framework of organizational theory and related research provides educational administrators with structural, political, human-resource, and symbolic frames for understanding current educational practices and for planning the integration of severely disabled students into the general education program of…

The president-elect's address looks at the future role of the American Association of Dental Schools, a proposed study of dental education by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, and contributions of other studies and associations. Association needs include a new mission, redistribution of resources, increased legislative…

Reviews selected research studies evaluating school improvement projects, focusing on schools at the local level in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. Examines administrative structures and classroom teaching management. Discusses educational policy changes such as increased decentralization aimed at changing learning conditions. (NL)

Describes a five-year curriculum assessment and development program in a Pennsylvania school district. Uses the metaphor of a baseball game to describe the project's chronology and activities. Includes a year-by-year project synopsis and evaluative comments about group dynamics and related issues. (CFR)

Teacher assessment programs of four Florida school systems that have attempted to link teacher assessment, development, and school improvement are described and their efforts evaluated. Common components are identified, with collaboration, professional development, and accountability being among the most important. Each system addressed school…

Teachers in Tennessee are using the Classroom Ecological Inventory (CEI) to prepare students with mild disabilities for moves into mainstream settings. The CEI was field tested as part of the Peabody Reintegration Project and involves observation of the regular classroom, regular teacher interview, comparison of the special and regular classrooms,…

Examines issues concerning the initial setup and the everyday operational problems of managing a computer teaching laboratory. Addresses such issues as setting policies on laboratory access, dealing with a high student-per-machine ratio, provisions for maintenance, obtaining hardware and software upgrades, staffing, data security, and networking…

This study was conducted to provide information on environmental knowledge of fifth and sixth graders in a Greek city in order to allow effective planning of environmental education. Results indicate that children's knowledge about the environment is influenced by their immediate experience as well as by textbook content. Discusses implications of…

Studies in three Canadian schools indicate that implementation of a year-round school calendar served as a catalyst for innovations in teaching and learning and for school-level capacity-building by facilitating teachers' planning, formal and informal talk about teaching and learning, team teaching, philosophically-based programmatic changes, and…

Investigates the role of Boards of Governors in the governance of local high schools in Papua New Guinea. Offers lessons for those who are intending to introduce school governance at the individual institution level. Asserts that training is required for principals and board members to strengthen the boards' effectiveness. (19 citations) (VWC)

Presents a framework to help media specialists and other educators facilitate the process of integrating computer technology and the Internet into classroom instruction and curriculum design. Highlights include planning, including concept maps; research, including critical thinking; development, including knowledge construction and higher-order…

A Sacramento district developed a strategic plan designed to promote responsibility and lift people up. At least 9 out of 10 students must meet rigorous performance standards by 2001. Accountability is embedded in good instruction, curriculum alignment, instructional materials, staff development, and core beliefs and trust. (MLH)