Examines data from four secondary schools struggling to develop and implement authentic learning and assessment over a three-year period. The schools did not succeed due to several interrelated factors: lack of foundational knowledge, the dominance of privacy and classroom autonomy norms, teacher time and student control issues, efficacy issues,…

Although the personality traits of archivists make them resistant to adopting marketing strategies, changes in the archival environment and information require that reference archivists understand and use concepts of marketing to advance archival services. Discusses changes in archival service, concepts of marketing: customer-orientation,…

Institutional, environmental, personal, and social barriers to public library use can be tackled with a community needs approach. Library programs focused on information and knowledge, empowerment, and capacity building can promote social change. (SK)

Discusses a complex and charged change program and its management at a Scottish higher education institution. Discusses the difficulties of the educational change process in higher education, the complexities surrounding notions of organizational cultures and communities of practice, and issues of power and management including the new…

Presents an abstract of a study that tried to determine what makes a school improvement team successful. Reports that six implications arose from the study's 17 conclusions, including the following: the team should identify and assign tasks to faculty and teams should clearly define school improvement goals. (Contains 36 references.) (NB)

Discusses the process of organizational change for early childcare education centers, focusing on preparation and planning. Provides suggestions for examining the source of change; the way staff, children, and parents are affected; the center's philosophy; practical considerations; staff training and development; the timetable for implementation;…

Asserts that charter schools provide unique and rich opportunities for Montessori educators to influence public education. Notes obstacles to establishing Montessori charter schools related to loss of funding for the local school district, the difficulty of Montessori teachers obtaining state certification, testing requirements to show student…

Efforts to address the information management problems of physicians include the Cochran reviews of the effectiveness of health care interventions and international clinical practice guidelines. A better theoretical base is needed to guide the choice of effective dissemination strategies. (Contains 18 references.) (SK)

The article describes how planning was used to transform the University of Twente (The Netherlands) from a regional to an entrepreneurial national institution. Noted are contexts of Dutch higher education and history, developments since 1964, strategic development for the 1980s, planning since 1980, a strategic plan for the 1990s, and the present…

Chapter 1 programs across the country have taken significant steps toward building better communication with hard-to-reach families. Schools should adapt communication strategies to family needs, reach the intended audience, design inviting parent workshops, and make "good news" telephone calls. A sidebar features the McAllen, Texas,…

Discusses six propositions concerning higher education contradicting prevailing pricing wisdom: high demand rarely drives prices up; market share increases rarely drive prices down; competition drives prices up; tuition prices are only loosely tied to delivery costs; student tuition is only loosely tied to price; and high tuition prices do not…

Battered by adversarial negotiation approaches, an assistant superintendent decided to work with a facilitator, focus on issues, and build trust and honesty into joint meetings. Living in harmony, using one's ears, setting a nice table, stemming rumors, knowing when to stop, and celebrating are essential. A sidebar outlines five steps to…

The reform of big-time collegiate athletics will take sustained effort on the part of many segments of the academic community. In recent years, the faculty has been among the most negligent. A stronger faculty role may not be a sufficient condition of further reform, but it is a necessary one. (MSE)

This paper describes the implementation of an intervention strategy to bring about collective change in an educational organization. Key elements of the strategy, such as problem identification and design of a staff development program, are identified. Application of the strategy to increasing the computer awareness of faculty at an Australian…

Identifies 10 educational restructuring components: setting a clear school mission; reorganizing the school to fit the mission, realigning curriculum, instruction, and assessment; enhancing the teaching profession; building collaborative relationships; initiating school-centered decision making; increasing parent and community involvement;…