Beginning with an analogy of today's schools as factories, this paper describes the conditions which make it both possible and imperative to transform schools. Examples are given of resources that may be used to support school-based changes, such as foundations, regional laboratories, professional associations, and universities. A model is offered…

Subtitled "Five Case Studies and Three Snapshots," this book illustrates what occurs in measurable terms when participants in the schooling process work cooperatively to improve school climate. In addition, the activities that are described reflect how to achieve the climate objectives of the schooling process--satisfaction and productivity. The…

This is a collection of four papers concerned with improvement of Chapter 1 programs in the northwestern United States. The first paper (Steve Murray) describes a program improvement support model presently in use. It summarizes the process of program adoption in five northwestern states and describes differences in state context that have…

This document describes the work of the Pupil Services Branch of the Maryland State Department of Education in its efforts to assist school districts and individual schools in the state in examining the causes of student disruption and in developing programs that are aimed at impacting disruptive students and creating more effective schools. A…

The free market human capital discourse and its associated material practices now play a significant role in education. This discourse assumes that education is an economic site in which individuals invest in the acquisition of qualifications in order to maximize their future earning power. It demands the full privatization and deregulation of…

Designed to provide change agents with a framework for planning and implementing successful teletraining systems, this paper discusses strategies for the introduction of sophisticated teletraining technology into corporate training programs without adversely affecting a client organization's social environment. Teletraining is defined as an…

This report explores the use of policy analysis as a tool for setting computer use policy in a school district by discussing the steps in the policy formation and implementation processes and outlining how policy analysis methods can contribute to the creation of effective policy. Factors related to the adoption and implementation of innovations…

Although vocational educators seem to be agreed on the priorities for their profession, research has found that the quality of vocational programs overall is highly variable and that the access of disadvantaged students to good programs is not ensured. The literature suggests that the challenges posed by new technologies and new clients, and a…

This paper considers the potential utility of computer conferencing for the Third World. A brief description of an example of a computer conferencing system, the Electronic Information Exchange System (EIES) based at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, is provided. International discussions on telecommunications and some of the activities of…

This paper analyzes the impact of adopting the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, second edition (AACR2), upon cataloging at the library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The staffing and workflow of the OCLC unit which incorporated AACR2 is described and figures are reported on the effects of AACR2 application as measured on the…

The phenomenon of innovation within the university is examined, noting the possibility of innovation as a key to college vitality. A study was conducted using a group of institutions that demonstrated recent innovative spirit. Members of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), each has been recognized in an annual…

A recent study (Cook, 1989) involving 58 randomly selected South Carolina elementary schools indicated that none of these schools could be characterized as having an "open climate." This paper suggests that this situation may have its origins in the educational reform movement of the 1980s, first ignited by the publication of "A…

An in-depth look is presented at how institutions are currently planning for microcomputers. The question is not whether the computer network on campus and between campuses will be the single most important technological event of the century for higher education, but rather how it will occur. Six sections include: the coming of age of…

The purpose of this study was to determine if an intervention package designed to develop the administrative and managerial skills of women vocational educators would change their ascriptions to resemble those of male high achievers. The independent variable was a 2-week residential institute held in June 1982. The dependent variable was…

The current emphasis on the economic and educational benefits of reform in second language education is persuasive and important but must be pursued cautiously. While the reform movement can increase the number and length of language programs being offered in the schools, it does not assure the quality of instruction offered, which deserves…