Efforts focused on improving quality processes based upon the Malcolm Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence may hold promise for fundamentally improving K-12 education. This policy report examines the information available on improving school quality through implementation of the Baldrige criteria. It provides a snapshot of what…

The public sector in Finland faces tasks and challenges in promoting science, technology, and innovations in conditions of global change. Sustainable economic, social, and cultural development will continue to demand comprehensive development of the innovation system based on solid cooperation between the public and private sectors in the country.…

The massage therapy profession is currently engaged in a competency-based education movement that includes an emphasis on promoting massage therapy research competencies (MTRCs). A systems-based model for integrating MTRCs into massage therapy education was therefore proposed. The model and an accompanying checklist describe an approach to…

Current policy discourses on "equity" in VET tend to gloss over the nature of the socioeconomic disadvantage that underlies questions of the participation and achievement of the so-called "target equity groups." While indexes of socioeconomic disadvantage are widely applied in education, their application to VET participation…

Vocational education and training (VET) research in Australia has changed dramatically in the last 10 years. In a 1993 report titled "No Small Change," VET research was characterized as a fragmented activity that was underfunded and had little or no relevance to policy or practice in the VET sector. Since that time, increased funding through the…

In recent years, issues affecting children and youth have received increased attention at the national and local levels, with numerous reports detailing challenges and offering solutions. Targeted toward policymakers, practitioners, scholars, and those seeking understanding of ideas for social and educational reform, this book focuses on promising…

Asserts that educators hold particular views about the nature of learning and its relationship to student assessment. Argues that educational objectives of education for meaning and life-long learning are unlikely to be achieved unless student assessment reflects the same theoretical principles. (CFR)

Reports on a "What Works Workshop," held at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana. Explains that the program brought together researchers and music teachers to explore problems of applying research findings to music classroom practice. Examines examples of research utilization that the workshop clarified. Lists strategies that workshop…

The importance of knowledge to the effective development of economic growth in the twenty-first century has led to a number of initiatives such as lifelong learning, skills development and knowledge transfer. Of these, knowledge transfer has predominantly been concerned with the commercial exploitation of research knowledge. This article suggests…

This document contains four papers from a symposium on evaluating the impact of human resource development (HRD). "The Politics of Program Evaluation and the Misuse of Evaluation Findings" (Hallie Preskill, Robin Lackey) discusses the status of evaluation theory, evaluation as a political activity, and the findings from a survey on the…

The nine papers in this book attempt to link recent changes in the education of children with exceptional needs with research findings and preferred instructional strategies. Considered are the characteristics of such children, accommodation of these students in regular classrooms, effective instructional strategies, legal requirements, and…

This report from the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources communicates the committee's approval of S. 1275 (which reauthorizes the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) through fiscal year 1999), suggests an amendment, and advocates the passage of the bill as amended. The central objective of the reauthorization bill is…

The world needs a socioeconomic strategy--a set of interrelated policies that recognize that social and institutional changes at all levels of society are necessary to realize fully the technical and economic potential of new technologies. An assessment and dissemination of how different countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and…

A report is presented of a meeting sponsored by the University Advisory Council of the American Council of Life Insurance on company-college links. A brief outline is presented of each of five innovative programs developed and implemented by business groups and colleges. As background to the projects, attention is also directed to some of the main…

The authors reviewed research on effective schools, literature on the implementation of educational innovation, and current theories of school organization. A synthesis of findings from this research indicates that differences among schools do have an effect on student achievement. Specifically, it is the school's culture that is responsible for…