This paper presents an operational framework of change, derived from a synthesis of three change models. It is argued that to create a quality school, educators must use a model that helps participants internalize the components of the desired educational corporate culture. The organization must be examined in terms of the past, present, and…

The report describes the settings of a case study of innovations in Burke County (North Carolina), provides a brief history of the county's educational efforts, and discusses some of the county's initiatives in education. For the research, multiple sources of data were used, including focus groups, interviews, and artifacts, such as memoranda and…

The past decade has been filled with widespread calls to institute systemic change in schools. This paper shares insights gained from one program that shifted from a traditional organizational view of educational leadership preparation to an inclusive approach that emphasizes community building. The Educational Leadership Program drew on four…

As local, state, and national educational reform continues to impact professional educators and others who support student learning, all professionals are faced with responding to change in a positive way. The study of educational change over the last 30 years has brought educators to a paradigm breakthrough in terms of how they think and act in…

This action research project designed and implemented a program for the instruction of cooperative learning and conflict resolution strategies in order to increase social competencies. The targeted population consisted of two multi-age, grade 2/3 classrooms and one fifth grade classroom in a stable middle class community in a large midwestern…

This study by the Accelerated Schools Project at Stanford University explores the factors that were prominent in district office support of school reform. The paper details findings from case studies conducted between 1995 and 1997 of three district offices that have been supportive of Accelerated Schools and school restructuring. For the study,…

Kentucky's systemic reform initiative has been heralded as one of the more comprehensive and well-sustained reforms in recent history. To evaluate the course of this reform, the challenges associated with researching and evaluating a statewide systemic reform effort are detailed here. By using a description of the politics of evaluating systemic…

This report presents eight different approaches adapted by schools to dramatically raise student achievement. The schools combine comprehensive, whole-school change with systems-level restructuring to help a large proportion of schools around the country achieve excellence. The eight programs include (1) ATLAS (Authentic Teaching, Learning, and…

Human-service experts have addressed the complex social-service needs of children and families by creating increasingly diverse community-based programs. To assist human-service-program professionals in their efforts, this report explores some new tools for program planning and evaluation that combine results-based accountability systems and a…

This report provides a theoretical and practical framework to guide Canadian policymakers in instituting a long-lasting and enduring change in the federal government that will ensure social, economic, and political equity for all Canadians of all cultural and racial origins. The literature on organizational change was reviewed and summarized under…

As Pacific educational leaders strive to make their educational systems meaningful for their own island people, lessons can be learned from the research on change. This is the second in a series of three papers on the broad phases of educational change: initiation, implementation, and institutionalization and renewal. The Concerns Based Adoption…

Broad patterns in the last 30 years of research on educational change are traced in this synthesis paper. The three dominant perspectives are: (1) the rational-scientific perspective that posits that change is created by the dissemination of innovative techniques; (2) the political perspective (the "top-down" approach) that generates…

This chapter on inclusion of students with disabilities in general education is based on the following assumptions: students with disabilities should have the opportunity to participate in general education classes and activities with their nondisabled peers; supports can be provided that will enable all children in those settings to be…

Both the rural economy and the disability community in rural areas can benefit from a recognition that they are mutually dependent. With the decline of rural America, the economic base underpinning all aspects of disability support systems is weakening. In addition, rural disability services often are compartmentalized along functional lines with…

This booklet evaluates 13 cross-cultural education projects that were initiated at California State University campuses. The projects all strived to incorporate into the curriculum and educational environment more scholarship on ethnic studies and a greater sensitivity to the values and needs of minority cultural groups. Among the findings of the…