The use of the team process in school improvement plans may play a role in how effective the group is in achieving its goals and objectives. Representative efforts and perceptions of the use of teams in local educational agencies were surveyed in multiple measurements, such as interviews, self-assessments, self-perceptions, and observations. The…

Organizing adult education must be done within the context of development policy. Cultural filters should be used in considering theory and research knowledge. A sensitive use of cultural filters also applies to learning from practice. An assumption is that there should be interfacing and interlinking structures of primary education and adult…

The idea of "Executive Mind" carries with it the notion of purposeful and effective action. Part I of this paper characterizes three complements to "Executive Mind"--"Observing Mind,""Theorizing Mind," and "Passionate Mind"--and offers historical figures exemplifying all four types. The concluding…

This paper explores the role that language can play in the development of technologies or other processes within an organisation. Examples and lessons from the literature of the learning organisation are looked as a key in the development of language. The paper uses a practical example of a customer complaints management system to demonstrate how…

This article examines the Snow Hill Institute, one of several 19th-century industrial schools founded for rural Southern black students, following the model of Booker T. Washington's Tuskegee Institute. This case study provides a sketch of William J. Edwards, an early Tuskegee alumnus and founder of the Snow Hill Institute in Wilcox County,…

A study identified trends influencing the literacy requirements of two entry-level jobs at each of three manufacturing sites and three hospital sites. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and focus groups with workers, employers, and union representatives. Materials that workers were expected to read were analyzed. The study…

This guide is intended to help planners and trainers assess the training needs of industrial organizations. Addressed in the individual chapters are the following topics: types of training needs (three levels of needs--organizational, occupational, individual, organizational training needs and objectives, and present and future needs); present…

Quality circles (QCs) have been considered one of the most promising approaches to improving American workers' productivity. The differences of quality circle effectiveness between active QCs (N=36) and inactive QCs (N=17) in a 3-year period were examined in a quasi-experimental field study. The dependent variables examined were the amount of…

Aimed specifically at Catholic institutions, this booklet provides guidelines for recruiting and using volunteers in organizational development efforts. The booklet discusses 21 ideas of interest to those who use volunteers in their programs. Topics covered in these 21 short sections are the following: history of volunteerism in America,…

This report focuses on the instructional leadership role of the school superintendent and recommends an operational model superintendents should follow to produce an effective academic environment for elementary and secondary students. Americans' concern about quality of education can be addressed by informative study of successful management of…

A University of New Mexico program in Spanish for professionals began in 1981 as a Spanish and Portuguese program to provide language training for personnel in health care, business, law, and education. The program encountered early problems of uneven enrollments, funding difficulties, and some lack of interest from the campus professional schools…

Because the skills needed for organizational effectiveness are typically communication based, many methods are available for communication trainers, including techniques originally designed to identify other cognitive and behavioral skills. The successful communication trainer can use these methods and measures, along with those directly aimed at…

To test the effectiveness of an organizational development strategy to improve educational environments, data were gathered on the process and outcomes of a project for school climate improvement and school renewal. Data from two urban schools--a junior high school and a middle school--were drawn from interviews with participants, figures on…

This study examined the relationship among accountability, efficacy, and organizational effectiveness by integrating findings from 17 research and development reports on Management by Objectives (MBO), an intervention that incorporates elements and processes of both accountability (goal-setting, measuring and monitoring, feedback) and efficacy…

This is the second annual report of the Army Research Institute's (ARI) basic research program. It describes the current focus of the program and the individual research efforts sponsored within each of the four principal thrust areas: ability assessment; instructional technology; cognitive processing limitations; and intelligent systems. In…