This monograph reviews recent trends in school reform and proposes "learner-based accountability" as a new paradigm for conceptualizing and implementing school reform. The first chapter notes both an economic mandate for school change and a mandate for increased equity. It identifies key findings of the school effectiveness movement and…

This monograph provides a structured planning process and information on best educational practices for serving students with emotional/behavior disorders (E/BD) placed in general education classrooms. After an introductory chapter, the guide: (1) addresses the controversy concerning inclusion for students with emotional/behavioral disorders; (2)…

Colleges in the United Kingdom are currently undergoing significant shifts in how staff and faculty contracts are restructured and this paper takes a close look at why this process is going on, its legal ramifications, and how administrators can manage it. An introduction describes the background to the current trends and explores various ways of…

This document is the first volume of two that jointly report on schools engaged in systemic reform. "Volume I: Lessons Learned" provides an indepth analysis of restructuring efforts across 10 schools participating in the Every Student Succeeds (ESS) and other state-reform initiatives. Based on a 3-year study, the volume synthesizes the…

This document, the second of two volumes, contains individual profiles of 10 schools that participated in California's Every Student Succeeds (ESS) reform initiative. The ESS initiative created a network of schools to promote change efforts aimed at improving learning for at-risk students. The first phase of the study looked broadly at school…

This book serves as a resource guide to help people engage in a healthy, informed discussion of restructuring possibilities. Its focus is on creating readiness for school restructuring, which differs from both renewal and reform. Each chapter is similar in structure and designed to stand on its own. Each is short enough to be quickly read and then…

This theme issue on rural education focuses on the unique characteristics and problems of rural schools, and discusses how the "top down" and "one size fits all" nature of the last decade of reforms has not taken these into account. To better address the situation of rural and small schools, various strategies are offered that…

This book is a guide to the implementation of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) in institutions of higher education. After an introductory chapter, each chapter focuses on one of six steps. The first step to implementing CQI in an institution of higher education is to educate the administration. The second step is for the administration to take…

Messy, real-life problems provide the starting point for learning in a radically transformed instructional environment. In problem-based learning (PBL), students in educational administration classes--aspiring and current principals--jointly decide how to deal with the problems and learn leadership skills by facilitating collaboration and building…

This report reviews the development of independent service coordination for people with disabilities in Illinois and offers recommendations in support of free-standing and independent service coordination in the state. First the report defines independent service coordination, then it reviews the policy of the Illinois Planning Council on…

This study compared achievement of students in two types of deliberate learning communities at William Rainey Harper College (Illinois) with achievement of students in two comparative groups. In the "linked classes" format, the same students enrolled in the same two course sections and two faculty members taught in a team format. In the…

The American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on Violence and the Family was convened to bring psychological research and clinical experience to bear on the problem of family violence and to make recommendations for solutions. This report of the Task Force highlights the need for a systematic, multi-faceted, multidisciplinary, and…

Research has underscored the need to develop pragmatic competence in learners of English as a Second Language (ESL). Learners have a target community (native speakers) to both model themselves after and practice with. However, in English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) settings, this is not the case. Most learners will not use pragmatic competence at…

This annual report of the National Council on Disability (NCD) describes major activities and accomplishments during fiscal year 1995 in its role of advising the President and Congress on issues concerning people with disabilities. The NCD gathered information about the implementation, effectiveness, and impact of the Individuals with Disabilities…

This collection of readings in support of inclusive education for students with disabilities offers rationales for inclusion, personal accounts of individuals involved, and strategies for facilitating change. Stressed throughout is the idea that inclusion is an attitude or belief system, not an action or set of actions. The readings identify…