This paper on staff development proposes one dimension of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), Stages of Concern, as a diagnostic tool for use by counselors, administrators, staff developers and other change facilitators who are responsible for the timing and delivery of staff development experiences. A rationale for staff development, the…

Major points made by the authors of this special journal edition are briefly reviewed. A shift from a general practice model of school psychology to a corporate model is noted. Differences between teamwork in schools and in industry and medicine are described, and team functioning in schools is equated with committee activity. (Author)

Models of organizational structures developed through the study of commercial organizations are not necessarily applicable to educational organizations. Technical organizations such as factories act to regulate the flow of their processes and products and, thus, to buffer them from external forces. Institutional organizations such as schools or…

Although schools have served as a major target of both educational and mental-health oriented interventions, they have shown a marked tendency to assimilate innovative programs into existing patterns. This paper analyzes the sources and manifestations of resistance to change in schools and discusses the implications of such resistance for the…

Business and industry have exerted a strong influence on public schools and school administration, especially on assumptions about the school setting and its implications for administrator behavior. Schools have been assumed to be bureaucratic organizations in a stable environment, which implies that administrators should be leaders in…

This article proposes an ecological model of human development as a framework for teacher development in the schools. It argues that an ecological perspective contains the necessary characteristics and criteria to provide both for school-based teacher development opportunities and for clinical research grounded in teaching practice. (TE)

A national project of the Society for Values in Higher Education examined comprehensive values studies at eight colleges and universities. The possibility that dialog about values might improve campus decision making was explored. The place of academic freedom in the discussion of values is described. (MLW)

Intended for use by individuals or groups in initiating strategic thinking and planning, this document provides national data on 21 dimensions of the environmental scanning process grouped into nine categories and presents a model of strategic planning. Following a brief introduction describing the importance of environmental factors in planning,…

A framework and a derivative course of action to higher education institutions as they move through transition from an industrial to technological society are presented with reference to Alvin Toffler's "The Third Wave." The concept of equilibrium/disequilibrium is the theoretical basis of the framework. Three models demonstrate the…

The authors outline how the University College (UC) model can serve as an effective vehicle for others.

Mathematics education is different in rural schools than in non-rural schools. An explanation for this can be found in an open social systems model of schools, in which schools are comprised of interdependent subsystems that function together to transform inputs into outcomes. These are open systems in that external forces in the environment…

Research shows that small schools and schools within schools can yield positive outcomes for students and improved satisfaction and effectiveness among school staff. Small schools can be less costly than larger ones if judged by expenditure per graduate instead of cost per pupil enrolled. Examination of the policy environments of urban schools in…