Using a British community college program as an example, this article describes how change may occur in loosely coupled systems. According to Weick, change in loosely coupled systems is continuous, small-scale, improvisational, accommodative, and local. If major change is necessary, tighter coupling may be achieved through training contracts,…

A literature review found that (1) innovations must be introduced into the community before physicians adopt them; (2) prerequisites of change include personal commitment, a conceptual base, multiple experiences, and multiple information sources; and (3) interventions to accelerate adoption are more successful if individualized and targeted. (SK)

School restructuring creates new expectations of administrators that transcend instructional leadership notions. Describes a 4-year research program exploring transformational forms of leadership in restructuring schools. Summarizes evidence about transformational leadership practices and behaviors, their effects on school and teacher variables,…

Guidelines are offered for implementing collaborative models to meet the needs of students with special needs, including clarifying the need for collaboration, identifying the stakeholders of change, identifying the purpose and format of respective structures, setting targets for collaborative change, designing an implementation process, and…

During the past 50 years, educational planning has evolved into a recognized, somewhat esoteric field of study. The four major planning models are rationalism (comprehensive and bounded), incrementalism (or muddling through), mixed or environmental scanning, and goal-free (developmental) planning. Sound educational planning is people-oriented and…

For nearly 20 years, a Delaware school district has been building and evaluating an inclusive classroom model, Team Approach to Mastery. Resource rooms were gradually eliminated, and disabled students were educated alongside their nondisabled classmates. Mainstreaming strategies included team teaching, learning centers, ego groups (to develop…

Individual development planning, intended to improve job performance, involves identifying what needs to be improved; what is the evidence of this; what root skills need development; how behavior changes will be measured; what ideas/principles lead to successful development; and how these elements form a coherent sequence of actions. (SK)

Seven challenges in quality assurance for services for people with mental retardation include defining quality, identifying the customer, making choices real, realizing that good intentions are not enough, not applying innovations too hastily or on too large a scale, assuring quality of leadership and staff, and rediscovering common sense. (DB)

A recent study asked 178 secondary school principals at 100 schools to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies used with at-risk youth. The most effective strategies were afterschool programs, Chapter I programs, teacher aides, coping skills, and peer tutoring for middle schools; and individualized instruction, teacher aides, and summer school…

A discussion of conflict in academic departments describes current philosophies in conflict resolution, including a principled approach emphasizing positive benefits. Structures within organizations that inherently create conflict are identified, and various strategies for dealing with conflict are outlined based on one theory of response modes.…

Areas in which Australia's binary higher education system has been successful and unsuccessful are examined. It is pronounced a success in the university sector and from the consumer standpoint, unsuccessful for advanced education, and a learning experience for all. A new unified national system threatens to undermine what has been accomplished.…

Colleges and educational administration departments can bridge the gap between professors and practitioners by employing professors with administrative experience, establishing clinically based sabbaticals, developing positions for clinical professors, and initiating publications focused on clinical issues. Also, practitioners should be involved…

This special report includes four articles arising from the American Society for Training and Development's symposium, "Approaches to Change in Organizations": "Taking Charge of of Change" (Steinburg); "Five Views of Change" (Conner et al.); "Breakpoint Change" (Land, Jarman); and "Approaches to Change" (Kotler). (JOW)

Reviews the status of academic advising and considers barriers to effective advising. Suggests that strategies for improving advising systems must take into account specific institutional factors that act as barriers to effective advising and must include long-term commitment to enhancement efforts. (LLL)

A survey of 59 physicians following continuing medical education found that 51 planned changes as a result. Forty-eight completed a follow-up survey in which 42 reported successfully making changes. Barriers were related to skills and strategies needed to manage planned changes. (SK)