According to a national survey, about 80% of American Indian and Alaska Native youth have experimented with alcohol or drugs, compared to about 50% of youth nationwide. Particular risk factors for Native youth include low self-esteem, post-traumatic stress, and culture conflict arising from differences between traditional Native values and values…

The ideal school cafeteria includes a salad bar and serving tables with healthy food items. Certain cafeteria pitfalls, such as a noisy or stuffy atmosphere, can be avoided by good administration. Specific guidelines on campaigning for better school food consist of building a community coalition that holds public meetings, learning about the…

This training guide is intended as an aid for agencies and professionals in creating interagency efforts to provide comprehensive care to children and youth with serious emotional disorders and their families. It is not a generic concept but a specific approach to providing care. Section I addresses the key assumptions that undergird the model,…

Changing the school environment to enhance student motivation and achievement is described in this paper, which focuses on broad structural change within the school. Current motivation theory is applied at the school level for lasting school reform. A collaborative project among university researchers, school leaders, and school staff in one…

A task force from a high technology company recently conducted a nine-month study to determine the attitudes of older workers toward work, management, technological change, and productivity. Data were gathered from personnel files; an age audit was undertaken, and 4,000 employees were randomly interviewed. The workers were asked to offer opinions…

This guide provides specific information and resources for course and curriculum development, beginning with an outline of the basic elements of a curriculum and a listing of exemplary curricula in computer science education from other colleges. The definition of, need for, and essential and secondary features of a goal are presented, as well as…

Instructionally, schools tend to be "weakly normed" organizational systems in which teachers bring relatively little pressure upon each other to change and/or improve their classroom performance. Because teachers tolerate a wide range of behavior among their colleagues and are reluctant to offer criticism of each other, those responsibile for…

A retention plan was developed to quantify and qualify the attrition problem and to establish action plans to improve retention for a regional university serving many nontraditional students. Cameron University, a state institution in Oklahoma, provides both associate and bachelor degree programs. The attrition problems were difficult to identify…

The role of integrators, individuals who facilitate communication and understanding, in facilitating the use of computer technology was explored, based on five case studies. It is suggested that a major obstacle to successful academic computing is getting faculty and students to use available computer resources effectively. In addition to helping…

Strategies to enable blacks to achieve access, choice, and parity in higher education under the aegis of accreditation are suggested. It is noted that educational requirements or standards are directly or indirectly set by accrediting agencies. The following recommendations for accrediting agencies are offered: accrediting agencies should involve…

This manual is a workbook designed to prepare and help citizens' groups to campaign for equal education for children of both sexes in their communities' public elementary and secondary schools. The manual is divided into two major sections. Section I, "Planning Your Campaign," includes chapters on (1) goal setting; (2) analyzing the…

Summarizing the full report of a study by the same title that originally appeared in five volumes, this document is divided into four sections. Section I critiques and clarifies the values, goals, and assumptions of Organization Development (OD), a change strategy for organizational self-development and renewal adapted from business settings and…

Research in organizational development and ecological psychology has demonstrated the importance of viewing organizations from a systems perspective. Organizational innovations are planned, designed, and implemented in increasingly complex and dynamic ecosystems. This paper presents a model of organizational change which was developed using a…

The authors give practical ideas for winning the cooperation of parents and making conferences with them an opportunity for growth rather than a dreaded obligation. Specific suggestions are given for helping parents understand their children and develop workable plans for positive change. (Author)

The changes required by many school reform policies address problems that are extremely difficult to clarify, with organizational and environmental factors densely intertwined. Accordingly, this document begins by identifying the "four C's" that must be taken into account if any strategy for school improvement is to succeed: complexity,…