This monograph introduces educational administrators at a variety of levels to the basic concepts and procedures in the successful implementation of educational computer systems. In the first section, the units and functions of the computer are defined, and the administrative, research, and instructional applications of educational computing are…

Chapter 5 of a volume on school leadership, this chapter reviews the literature to define and explain management teams and to describe several successful management team arrangements. The author begins by noting that team management has recently enjoyed a resurgence as a response to collective negotiations, but beyond this function can have value…

This digest summarizes the rights and responsibilities of parents of children in the special education process under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997. Among 15 rights listed are a free appropriate public education for every child, informed consent concerning evaluation and programmatic decisions, evaluation…

This digest describes the process of designing quality individualized education program (IEP) transition plans for secondary students with disabilities as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as amended in 1997. It stresses the importance of taking an early, long-range approach, preferably beginning at age 14 or…

This digest addresses the topic of increasing violence among and against youth in society. The opening section "What Personal Qualities Are Associated with Reduction of Violence," identifies: (1) problem-solving and reasoning skills; (2) social capacities; and (3) a productive sense of purpose, independence, and power. The section…

This digest, based on a larger report of the same title, summarizes principles for improving quality in higher education institutions. Emphasis is on the effect of the principles when they are used holistically to create a culture of academic excellence. The quality principles are based on the conceptual framework of total quality management (TQM)…

The current trend toward collaboration is having an impact on the fields of adult basic education and adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and literacy education. This digest looks at collaboration for adult ESL programs and for family bilingual and ESL literacy programs. It discusses the distinctions among cooperation, coordination, and…

Appropriate and inappropriate uses of the strategic planning concept are identified, and significant literature on the subject is reviewed that gives both conceptual and practical guidelines. Included is a series of very simple to more complex planning models that colleges and universities can adopt or modify, depending on their circumstances, to…

To assist career education and career development practitioners in helping students use occupational information, this Practitioner File begins by discussing the role of occupational information in career decision making. The next section addresses considerations and concerns in using online information such as user proficiency, quality of…

Family influence is an important force in preparing youth for their roles as workers. Family background factors found to be associated with career development include parents' socioeconomic status, their educational level, biogenetic factors, and family income. Family processes of interaction, communication, and behavior influence what the child…

Help for educators in meeting the challenge of involving parents and extended families of at-risk children is offered in this report. Twenty-eight chapters provide information to help educators communicate with low-income, nonwhite, and non-English speaking parents. Part 1 identifies the at-risk population, the benefits and forms of family…

Teachers are primarily motivated by intrinsic rewards such as self-respect, responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment. Administrators can therefore boost morale and motivate teachers to excel through participatory governance, inservice education, and systematic, supportive evaluation. (TE)

Many educators believe the role of vocational education is to prepare students for work in a given trade or vocational area with the focus on job skill training. Some contend vocational education should concentrate more broadly on all aspects of students' career development, including lifelong learning, employability, and cognitive skills. One way…

In most schools, especially urban high schools, teachers are colleagues in name only. Some schools, however, do foster substantial collegial relationships among teachers; and when schools are organized to support such teacher collaboration, the benefits are substantial. To make teacher collaboration possible and effective, two fundamental…

The growing interest in human resources development (HRD) is a response to the increasingly competitive business environment which, in turn, has been shaped by such forces as the emergence of global competition, the quickening pace of technological innovation and the reduction of federal regulations in some industries. This monograph seeks to…