The need for accountability in school psychological services is receiving increased attention. School psychologists are now being asked to demonstrate the effectiveness of their services. Data collection procedures can improve services to clients and systems, enhance the delivery system's psychological services program, validate the need for…

With the emergence of greater stress in the life of today's youth, much effort has gone into the investigation of effective coping methods for adolescents. By employing coping strategies, youth gain self-control and learn appropriate behavioral responses to many of life's stressors. Effective coping can assist adolescents in mastering cognitive,…

Some promising educational reforms are aimed at the classroom (strengthening the interaction between students and teachers and enhancing the curriculum). Change models most likely to succeed are those that give teachers, students, and other stakeholders a clear, common vision of their school's direction. When teachers translate visions into…

This case study describes how the School of Education at Indiana State University launched an initiative to redefine the roles and responsibilities of its professoriate in 1995. Section 1, "Creating a Need for Change," discusses "External Pressures for Change in Colleges and Schools of Education,""Challenges for…

This monograph on learning communities and the first-year college experience presents 12 chapters which combine theory with examples of good practice and recommendations for building and sustaining effective learning communities. Following an introduction by the editor, the included chapters are: (1) "What Are Learning Communities?"…

This report examines the potential of Quality Management (QM) to enhance system change by analyzing its implementation in three suburban public school districts. The paper assessed the capacity of QM to increase the efficiency and productivity of the school districts, validated the potential to sustain systemic change in a school organization, and…

This paper examines the external and local responses that are forcing university programs in educational administration to consider distance education, as well as the responses of one particular program, the Department of Educational Administration and Foundations at Illinois State University (ISU). Specifically addressed are external pressures…

This paper focuses on the discrepancy in the access and use of computers by girls and boys in early childhood classrooms. It is argued that this difference can be attributed to gender biased classroom practices, lack of female role models, and the unavailability of bias-free software programs. The paper: discusses existing forms of gender bias;…

The rapid growth of kinship foster care--full-time parenting of children by relatives or other adults who have a kinship bond with a child--has caught many child welfare agencies off guard. This monograph presents information needed by professionals, agencies, institutions, communities, and organizations to develop and provide services to kinship…

Noting that meeting foster children's needs with sensitivity and compassion creates challenges for foster parents and helping professionals, this booklet narrates the experiences of two foster children to launch a discussion of challenges faced by foster children and appropriate child welfare intervention strategies. Part 1 tells the story of…

Recognizing the relationship between child health and success in school and the importance of health insurance in remaining healthy, the Healthy Kids, Healthy Schools project of Consumers Union works to connect children in schools with California's state-sponsored health insurance program. This guide provides ideas on how a school and community…

This manual is a guide to Project MESH (Making Effective Schools Happen), a project which blends the "effective schools" research and change process with the values of the movement to include all students with disabilities in general education programs. The manual is based on the experience of two elementary schools in Washington State.…

Libraries are in a process of fundamental change brought about by radical changes in technology. This paper charts the changes that have taken place over the years and makes some assumptions as to how the future will look. Barriers to increased use of technology are analyzed and detailed, including: lack of uniformity in search systems; the…

The first of a 3-volume series describing the 17 Early Head Start (EHS) programs in fall 1997, this report discusses the main features of the research programs and identifies the key challenges and successes they experienced during their first year of serving families. Chapter 1 of the report discusses the historical and national context of the…

This publication presents proceedings from a 1999 conference on higher education reform and quality that involved six countries: China, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United States. The first section, "Report of the Six-Nation Higher Education Project," presents "Summary of the Progress of the Higher Education…