The notion of policy "borrowing" in education has been a consistent theme in comparative inquiry in education from the early decades of the 19th century. While there were many countries that benefited from adopting the educational policy of other countries, there has been many cases wherein such action has earned a lot of negative…

Libraries transform communities by providing well-organized information resources and services. Conversely, communities can also transform libraries if librarians appreciate the rich diversity of the communities' information needs, acting as bridges between communities as well as enabling and facilitating community-building. The roles of…

Within the discourse of the New Education Fellowship (NEF) in Australia in the mid-twentieth century, active engagement in creative recreation and discussion of social and political issues was highly valued. Members were exhorted to traverse personal boundaries by participating in practical and creative arts. In this discourse, NEF Creative Arts…

Previous research on the relationship between age and creativity has shown that career age, rather than chronological age, correlates best with longitudinal changes in creative productivity. Recently, Dietrich (2004) proposed a new theoretical framework that integrates cognitive neuroscience with the findings of creativity research. By identifying…

Many schools are initiating projects that place laptop computers into the hands of each student and teacher in the school. These projects entail a great deal of planning and investment by all involved. The teachers in these schools are faced with significant challenges as they prepare for teaching in classrooms where every student has a computer.…

This paper is a report on the findings of a study conducted on the implementation of a portfolio system at the University of Kentucky. Interviews were conducted with faculty members and university supervisors about the use of a portfolio management tool that had been implemented in the teacher education program. Factors such as small program size…

This paper describes the findings about the use of Web 2.0 technologies in the education of health professionals in the United Kingdom (UK). The work is part of a wider study scoping the use of e-learning. Its objectives were to: (1) Explore issues influencing implementation and use by both early and late adopters; (2) Identify barriers to…

A mail survey of 86 daily college newspapers (91% of the population) measured the adoption rate of digital imaging technology for the routine processing of news photographs to establish the stage of adoption and to assess possible effects of the technology on students' perceptions of newsphoto credibility. Results indicated that 63% reported…

This study sought to determine the role that perceptions played in the adoption of an instructional innovation. According to current diffusion theories, an innovation is more likely to be adopted if potential adopters have favorable perceptions in regard to its complexity, compatibility, relative advantage, observability, and trialability. Three…

Citing the failure of film, radio, and television to revolutionize the American education system, this paper identifies reasons for those failures and suggests ways to avoid similar failure in the diffusion of computer use in education and the diffusion of "datafication" into the homes of rural America. Four steps are identified to facilitate the…

This paper is a case study about the role of evaluation and its effect on a foster care program's adoption services. It presents examples of the dilemmas often faced by the evaluator who must identify problems and design action plans to correct program deficiencies. HeartShare Human Services of New York is an 80-year-old nonprofit agency that…

In 1992, the first year of the establishment of the European Forum for Child Welfare (EFCW), the European Commission sponsored a seminar on European Community (EC) implications for adoption and fostering. The seminar was organized to enable practitioners, legislators, and policymakers within the EC to start a dialogue on current adoption…

Twenty-nine members of a manufacturing organization were interviewed to learn how they identified, evaluated, and responded to what they perceived as significant changes in their organization. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze the interview transcripts. A model of the process of organizational change was constructed from emergent…

This report describes the process by which the 1990 conference for state library literacy consultants--"Strengthening the Literacy Network"--was planned and implemented and the conference results. The overarching goal of the project was to promote the implementation of effective and innovative literacy projects and strategies nationwide…

This document reports on the implementation of an innovation called "thoughtful teaching and learning" (which means lessons, teaching, class interactions, student-teacher relationships, and student assessment that promote the work of the mind as the prime claim on the curriculum) with a group of district and school administrators in a…