Represents and assesses critical dimensions of individual innovation adopters and proposes use in a school setting. (Author)

Researchers have only recently recognized that assertions by various educators that they have implemented educational innovations do not all mean the same thing or bear the same weight, according to the authors of this report. Efforts made by the Research and Development Center for Teacher Education at the University of Texas at Austin to…

This guidebook identifies the tasks in disseminating new programs and provides profiles for judging their progress. The process of presenting a program to new users is divided into seven tasks: creating awareness of the project, establishing commitment among the users, providing materials, training personnel, planning to meet users' individual…

The present study was in part a case study involving the levels of use that existed among a sample of second- and fourth-grade teachers using or anticipating the use of individualized instruction in reading and mathematics instruction. The sample was assumed to include both users and nonusers of the innovation as half the schools were involved in…

Four ingredients critical for successful classroom innovations are described: (1) a well defined "classroom friendly" effective innovation, (2) continuous teacher support, (3) clear direction from administrators, and (4) attention to institutionalization. (MD)

The paper presents a framework intended to help in the adoption of new early childhood special education model programs. The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) is explained to describe how individuals undergo the change process. The diagnostic component of CBAM is described in terms of three dimensions: (1) stages of concern (the feelings of…

Based on a local site sample of 146 school districts, this volume (the second in a series of 10) describes school improvement efforts supported by 4 different federal strategies and representative programs: interpersonal linkage of validated practices (National Diffusion Network), commercial distribution (Bureau of Education for the Handicapped…

This document is the second in a series of evaluation reports by the Research and Development Center for Teacher Education at the University of Texas at Austin, assessing the state of teacher centering in Texas and the effects of the University of Houston's Project on School-Based Teacher Educators (SBTE), initiated to create a network of teacher…

The concept of Levels of Use of the Innovation (LoU) permits an operational, cost-feasible description and documentation of whether or not an educational innovation or treatment is being implemented. Eight different LoU's can be reliably measured: nonuse, orientation, preparation, mechanical uses, routine, refinement, integration, and renewal.…

Despite bad news about education, a large national study shows that school improvement efforts are successful and not random. The study was a three-year effort to examine government practices encouraging school growth. (MD)

As part of the Study of Dissemination Efforts Supporting School Improvement, researchers looked at how the activities of, perceptions of, and opinions about the building administrator affect the outcome of efforts to implement new practices. This paper describes a sample of building administrators working in the 146 school districts that…

When implementing an innovation, a multitude of components interact to change not only the users, but the innovation as well. This guide explains the concept of innovation configurations, or adaptations made in innovations during implementation. After presenting and discussing past research on innovation changes, the report outlines a five step…

Levels of use of the innovation represent behaviors demonstrated by individuals as they grow in the process of innovation implementation. Eight levels of use have been defined, ranging from lack of knowledge about the innovation through highly sophisticated, impact-oriented use. Operational definitions include seven categories of adopter knowledge…

The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) for staff development is an empirically-based conceptual framework which outlines the developmental process that individuals experience as they implement a new innovation. The model is based on the assumption that, when persons responsible for implementing change via inservice programs have relevant…

The tenth and final volume of this study provides a short, crisp summary of its findings for educators at all levels. Important considerations are suggested for federal and state policymakers as they support schools in their change efforts, and for school people who are committed to making effective and long-lasting improvements in their…