This British report demonstrates the importance of early learning as a preparation for effective education to promote social welfare and social order, and to develop a world-class workforce. It shows how countries benefit from providing good preschool education for children. Chapter 1 summarizes the case for the systematic public provision of high…

This guide is designed as a resource for use in implementing the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) in New Zealand secondary schools. Discussed in the introduction are the development of flexible learning in secondary schools, the context for the New Zealand curriculum, the NQF, and transition to flexible learner-centered schools. Section 1…

In 1991, the Oregon State Legislature passed the Educational Act for the 21st Century. Since then, schools around the state have reacted in a variety of ways in an attempt to meet or avoid the law's requirements. A survey of schools and focus-group data from 18 Oregon schools were used to examine the policy articulation process from three…

On September 27, 1991, a seminar was held by faculty, administrators, and other higher education practitioners to discuss financial aid issues related to the almost 11 million nontraditional students in the nation's colleges and universities. This monograph describes those issues and presents four papers that formed the background to seminar…

Teachers at a small rural elementary school developed a curriculum to help children acquire life coping skills. Children learn responsible behavior and gain independence through discussion of "Heart" concepts, problem-solving, and drawing and writing assignments. "Heart" concepts are taught on a daily basis in the special…

This study attempted to identify workable strategies for use in helping students develop greater confidence in their ability to learn and achieve in school. A sample of 82 graduate school students (primarily school teachers and administrators) studying school leadership completed an opinionnaire. The opinionnaire was designed to measure the…

In 1991, a national community education (CE) needs assessment was conducted. The national survey instrument was analyzed and revised for state-level use. A total of 381 CE educators throughout Florida were each randomly assigned to receive open- or closed-ended revised versions of the national survey. A total of 214 educators (56.2% of those…

This collection of essays by leading policy analysts and educators investigate the often contradictory claims of global, peace, multicultural and citizenship education and examines what U.S. students should know about world affairs in the post-cold war era. The essays suggest methods of change based on a strong academic core of history,…

This study conducted a literature review concerning the use of teacher collaboration as a problem-solving process intended to provide educational services to students at risk and with disabilities. Various types of resistance to collaborative service delivery were grouped in the following categories: knowledge, skills, and training perceptions of…

As a practicum project, an elementary school counselor developed and implemented a parent education program centered on the use of parents as models and peer facilitators for other parents. Based upon a survey of parents' self-professed needs, the program focused on parenting skills designed to help children avoid such high-risk behaviors as…

In an effort to address the needs of the increasing number of children who are coming to school with physical and emotional health conditions that prevent them from learning to their full potential, school systems have begun to alter the scope and nature of their school health services. Given their direct access to children, families, and school…

This newsletter issue focuses on the twin themes that, together, represent the ways that programs to strengthen families also contribute to a better society. The newsletter includes the following articles: (1) "Family Center Planning Project: Family Support, Public Policy, and Community Development"; (2) "Pulling It All Together for…

This paper describes education reform as an integrated effort to modify not only the structure and elements of the education system but also the culture or belief structure of that system. Central to any discussion of school reform are the elements of restructuring, empowerment, and change. Current reform efforts in restructuring revolve around a…

This book applies quality management, an organizational theory that has been successful in business and industry, to education. Chapter 1 describes the basic elements of quality management (QM)--continuous improvement, client satisfaction, positive return on investment, and doing it right the first and every time. Ways to implement Deming's 14…

This paper addresses what characteristics of institutional approaches to change succeed in achieving stated institutional aims within a higher education context. It asserts, through an examination of two case studies, that successful organizational change depends on context-laden feedback-driven processes that result in steady incremental…