Based on the bestselling book "Data Wise: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning", and its companion volume, "Data Wise in Action", this DVD and Facilitator's Guide offer insight into one of the most challenging steps in capturing data about school performance: observing and analyzing instructional…

The purpose of this guide is to help chronically struggling schools restructure. "Restructuring" means major, rapid changes that affect how a school is led and how instruction is delivered. Restructuring is essential in achieving rapid improvements in student learning. The focus is on helping education leaders choose strategies that…

The education system in California today is unable to meet the needs of the state's economy or the expectations of its citizens. From school finance to ensuring the quality of teaching, from assessment and accountability to preparing students for college and careers, education policy today in California often works against the best interests of…

This Information Capsule is the third in a series of papers addressing factors contributing to low academic achievement. The two previous papers addressed issues relevant to class size reduction and teacher quality/preparation. The premise of this Information Capsule is that there is no single smoking gun relative to improving school performance.…

Recent reforms in Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) appear to be gaining traction and producing welcome improvements in student achievement and success. Enrollment has increased, educators are replacing unsuccessful programs with innovative ones, and new resources and organizational partnerships are being brought into the system.…

This report presents an analysis of the diversity of income streams in UK higher education institutions (HEIs) at a time when the sector is facing considerable uncertainty. The research was conducted over a six-week period from March to April 2010 and, as such, it predated the establishment of the new Coalition Government in the UK. In the period…

Siedentop and Locke (1997) proposed three critical elements that must exist in our profession to make a difference and achieve systemic success in physical education (SSPE): (a) quality PE in the schools, (b) effective physical education teacher education (PETE)programs, and (c) a working relationship between the two. Using Cuban's (1992)…

This paper views seeking the optimal balance between state strengths and the scope of state functions for "good governance" as the formation of a homogenization-heterogenization matrix of policy initiatives in different social settings. Homogenization refers to a global tendency for institutional changes and governance framework to…

This document begins by presenting highlights of a seminar held in June of 1993 to describe innovative training programs that focus on interprofessional and family-centered forms of service delivery in the public sector and to discuss some of the issues, barriers, and challenges. Following these highlights is a background briefing report on…

Ways in which bureaucracies can "reinvent" themselves, that is, make fundamental changes so as to increase effectiveness, efficiency, adaptability, and capacity to innovate, are the subject of this book. It advocates replacing bureaucratic systems with entrepreneurial systems, which in turn leads to public organizations and systems that…

To survive in the 21st century, today's student must develop the thinking skills necessary to adapt to a transforming world and learn how to be a creative problem solver. Future Problem Solving (FPS) prepares the student of today for tomorrow through an educational program that enables students to apply a constructive, deliberate process for…

Communication theorists now concerned with developing better intercultural interactions are suggesting movement from an approach that has been purely analytical to one that is holistic. American society is at a stage where is must move from "dichotomization" to a more humanistic approach that involves unconditional positive regard for others, as…

This guide, part of the Drug-Free Communities Series, is a comprehensive overview of drug use and what can be done about it. It is directed toward individuals, specifically toward parents, asserting that change in the community needs to be reinforced by change at home. Information about alcohol and other drugs, their physiological effects, and how…

Discusses curriculum planning and development as they relate specifically to community education programs, emphasizing the importance of a process orientation to the task of curriculum development. (JG)

Successful change projects were found to have a preponderance of favorable forces in each of three phases of change: unfreezing, moving, and refreezing. Favorable and unfavorable forces were simple opposites. (Author/IRT)