This report is based on a survey of local school council (LSC) members in Chicago (Illinois) that was conducted in 1992 to determine and share the thoughts of LSC members on planning for school improvements and educational change, implementing policies, training, and fulfilling responsibilities and duties. Nearly 850 council members responded.…

One of the most persistent dilemmas faced by practicing educational administrators is choosing an appropriate model for decision making. This paper presents findings of a study that investigated the appropriateness of Cohen, March, and Olsen's (1972) Garbage Can Model of decision making. The case study examined the decision-making behavior of the…

This report explores various ways to increase the relevance of education for health care professionals as a strategy for improving the quality of health care and increasing access to services. Noting that the health work force can account for up to 70 percent of the health budget, the report concentrates on innovations in education that can make…

This synthesis document provides an understanding of current issues, policies, and practices in the application of school discipline to students with disabilities. The report contains three sections: (1) legal information including the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of…

This document reports on an assessment of the Jacksonville State University's Houston Cole Library collection that employed a variety of methodologies and tools, including list-checking, direct collection examination, shelflist measurement and analysis, WLN (Washington Library Network) conspectus sheets, analysis of OCLC/AMIGOS Collection Analysis…

This report discusses the differences between universities and business institutions and why they are different in handling their affairs. The premise of the report is that public universities must become more transparent if they are to receive adequate support from interested parties. Five main areas are discussed in a comparative assessment…

This report sets out to establish the need for and to define a type of adult education for the socialization of adults. It arises from the meeting of a steering group responsible for the "Adult Education and Social Change" project, which studied educational practices relating to the long-term unemployed and older people. The key points…

This report is aimed at helping Congress: (1) better understand the functions, history, capabilities, limitations, uses, and misuses of educational tests; (2) learn more about the promises and pitfalls of new assessment methods and technologies; and (3) identify and weigh policy options affecting educational policy. To prepare this report, the…

Literacy for women is a frequently voiced need that most governments recognize officially as a high priority. Despite the expansion of public education, women (particularly poor and rural women) continue to show adult literacy rates lower than those of men. Five key challenges to the attainment of literacy emerge for women. The first challenge is…

This handbook, based on an address given by James R. Smith, a former deputy superintendent of public instruction in the California State Department of Education, describes the elements of California's strategic approach for lasting school reform. The assertion is made that lasting, positive, and major changes in schools require that state…

This book provides 12 papers on assessment, instruction, and policy making in special education and rehabilitation. Part I focuses on assessment, with the following papers: "A Theory of Human Behavior" (Ronald Eaves); "Describing the Cognitive Aspects of Intelligence" (David Sabatino and Hubert Vance); and "Critical Issues in the Diagnostic…

The Youth Employment Program Assistance Project was a New York City initiative to demonstrate how employment training for out-of-school, economically disadvantaged youth can be made educationally vigorous. It involved four training programs with a few hundred students. The project focused on the following principles and goals: all learning…

This report examines the claims surrounding proposals to link student financial aid for postsecondary education with national service. As a background to the issue the paper looks at the Citizenship and National Service Act, introduced in January 1989 by Senators Sam Nunn and Charles Robb and Representative Dave McCurdy. The Nunn-McCurdy plan, as…

In 1989, the Community Partnership: Child Care and Early Education was formed to examine policies and make recommendations with respect to early childhood care and education (ECCE) in Ramsey County, Minnesota. The Partnership established a Task Force to develop a long-term vision for ECCE consistent with community values and to create a blueprint…

This paper discusses the problems encountered in applying rational and participatory models to school reform and presents an alternative model based on action research. The group processes of a school-improvement team (SIT) at a high school are examined. Data were collected through participant observation, interviews with three faculty members,…