This report presents an overview of the literature on school/teacher effectiveness and improvement, with a focus on implications for developing countries. Sections 1-2 discuss the trend toward site-based management, which has increased pressures on individual schools and their staff; eight key domains of school effectiveness; and the need to…

As part of a larger study of systemic education reform in rural Alaska, this case study examines the school improvement process undertaken in Yupiit School District (YSD). YSD consists of three Yupiaq villages in southwest Alaska that joined together in 1984 to form the Yupiit Nation and to run their own schools. In 1992 a district-level…

This guide is written from the perspective of school-based efforts to help address social problems and drug use among children. Although schools are not solely responsible for the nation's drug problems, the solution will require collaborative efforts among schools, families, communities, and social institutions. No longer are schools just a…

Explores the development of the systems architecture designed to meet problems identified by an evaluation of management information systems in Minnesota elementary, secondary, and vocational (ESV) education. Now a component of the long-range state plan for ESV information systems, the architecture integrates hardware, application systems, and…

Outlines six basic competencies school boards should consider when selecting consultants to assist teachers in upgrading instructional techniques and content. Discusses requirements for school board-sponsored consultant training and development programs. (NEC)

Describes a continuous school-wide effort begun in 1994 by Nogales High School (Arizona) to improve student writing. Nogales students in 2000 and 2001 scored at or above the state averages on the writing assessment portion of the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS). Advocates involving all teachers from all disciplines in the effort to…

Describes the Houston Elementary Science Alliance. This program uses medical school resources and personnel to provide elementary school science teachers with scientific information and hands-on activities that stress the doing of science and develops teachers to serve as a resource for their colleagues. (MDH)

Contends that the corporate literature on customer service is significantly applicable to academic libraries, and chronicles the development, implementation, and evaluation of a customer pledge at the Wright State University Libraries in Dayton, Ohio. The text of the fall 1995 version of the service pledge is appended. (BEW)

Discussion of measuring and improving the quality of library public services focuses on a method for quantifying and categorizing patrons' comments from a questionnaire developed at the College of Charleston (South Carolina) library. Topics include Total Quality Management, measures of user perceptions, and defining the service role of libraries.…

Addresses the issue of substitute teacher shortages in Ohio schools. Describes three studies conducted to determine the availability of substitute teachers and the impact of shortages. Poses solutions, including hiring more permanent substitutes, rescheduling teacher meetings to work around substitute availability, and increasing substitute…

We present the design principles for a new kind of computer system that helps students learn algebra. The fundamental idea is to have a system based on the microworld paradigm that allows students to make their own calculations, as they do with paper and pencil, without being obliged to use commands, and to verify the correctness of these…

This article stems from the author's personal experience promoting processes in favour of youth and adult education as Secretary General of the Latin American Council for Adult Education. The author draws from the analyses and considerations presented in documents developed over the past seven years that reflect collective thinking and the…

The 1990s and early 2000s saw the increased development of advanced training, skills standards, and certification exams by private organizations in the United States. Employers began accepting these skill certifications in lieu of traditional on-the-job training, thereby encouraging employees to acquire more credentials. This article examines the…

The authors outline how the University College (UC) model can serve as an effective vehicle for others.

A pioneer effort when passed as a bipartisan bill into legislation in 1991, California's Healthy Start initiative now stands out as a promising model for the emerging community school movement. Healthy Start is intended to bring "comprehensive, integrated, supports and services" to California's most disadvantaged K-12 students and…