A German Marshall Fund tour of education and training systems in Denmark, Sweden, and West Germany generated ideas that Oregon could use to evaluate and improve its own educational systems and programs. Four principles define the European model: (1) government policy and programs promote employment; (2) business and labor are powerful partners in…

The second of five volumes of a report on instructional programs for handicapped children and youth in day and residential facilities, this document describes methodologies and results of the first of four components of the study, a national survey of separate facilities for handicapped children and youth which yielded responses from 1,315 day…

This report profiles the condition of education in California's rural and small schools, placing public schooling and rurality into their social and economic contexts. The data focus on three issues: (1) the economic and social environments in which schools operate; (2) characteristics of rural schools, students, and teachers; and (3)…

In response to Legislative Resolve 47 of the 1989 Alaska Legislature, the Alaska State Board of Education prepared this report on efforts to improve school performance and recommendations for legislative action. In the past year, the State Board met with educators, parents, Native leaders and organizations, nationally known experts, and…

Existing choice plans, which allow parents and students to choose among a variety of schools, vary dramatically in size, shape, and purpose. Different types of choice programs have different impacts, especially on low-income and minority group students; and it is not yet clear how school choice programs should be structured to assure that those…

This guide is one of a series of publications that the National Alliance of Business is providing to stimulate and sustain U.S. business efforts to restructure public education in order to make it more responsive to the changing requirements of the modern workplace. This publication provides business people with some of the tools that will help…

Guidelines for facilitation of a teacher workshop on participative decision making, with a focus on the development of a school improvement plan based on consensus, are offered in this manual. Session topics include: perceptions, creativity, brainstorming, consensus building, and action planning. The introductory section defines workshop goals.…

This document states the position of the National Association of Elementary School Principals regarding the essential ingredients of a fine elementary or middle school. It combines the findings of current research on effective schooling with the practical, onsite experience of working principals. After a brief introduction, these standards are…

In spring 1989, the California Legislature provided $5 million for faculty and staff development at California Community Colleges during the 1988-89 fiscal year. Another $5 million was allocated in July 1989 for 1989-90. These funds, allocated under Assembly Bill (AB) 1725, were provided for each campus to establish an advisory committee composed…

Two papers are presented as part of the Effects on Testing Project. The first paper, "The Effects of Testing on Teaching and Learning" (Joan Herman, Shari Golan, and Jeanne Dreyfus), describes a study focusing on standardized, norm-referenced tests. A questionnaire was administered to 85 teachers (kindergarten through grade 12 levels)…

If present trends in family life and education continue into the next decade, most children under five will spend substantial proportions of their early years in various types of early childhood programs, most five- to six-year-olds will attend all-day kindergarten, and during their elementary school years they will spend much of their time before…

The 1982 Florida Legislature created the Joint Executive and Legislative Task Force for Teacher Education Quality Improvement to initiate a comprehensive study of Florida's teacher preparation programs and make policy recommendations for improving the quality of teacher education. This document reports on the results and findings of the task…

A study was conducted to determine the relative effectiveness of the traditional and infused (computer-assisted instruction or CAI) approach to basic skills instruction for students in a vocational education program. The sample for the study consisted of 41 male students in the air conditioning/refrigeration program at the Houston Community…

This paper suggests 15 steps school superintendents can take to help close the gap between the educationally disadvantaged and other student populations. Superintendents should do the following: (1) create a vision of what an achieving educational community is; (2) implement goals and strategies which create a positive educational climate; (3)…

This document reports on a 5-year project developed by the Department of Education of the U.S. Virgin Islands to create a useful information and technical assistance system for professional personnel to bring about educational change and growth. The project was based on the original Interstate Project in Dissemination model (with the exception…