Despite the national proliferation of technical assistance as a driver for school reform and as a model for embedded and sustained professional development, very little is known about the organizational structures and processes needed to support technical assistance. The purpose of this paper is to describe a structured needs assessment process…

One objective of the U.S. Department of Education's (ED) School Improvement Grants (SIG) and Race to the Top (RTT) program is to help states enhance their capacity to support the turnaround of low-performing schools. This capacity may be important, given how difficult it is to produce substantial and sustained achievement gains in low-performing…

An itinerant service delivery model takes early intervention and special education services to environments where young children with disabilities participate in their communities. Reconciliation of the mismatch that often occurs between recommended and actual practice requires support at all levels of the service delivery system, including…

Drawing upon the perspective of the policy sciences and a cross-disciplinary background, the author presents an integrated model of information-producing research activities that feed into various parts of the decision-making process. This model incorporates evaluation, needs assessments, policy analysis, training and technical assistance, and…

The article presents a conceptual model to be utilized in conducting the necessary needs assessment activities to implement a successful gifted program at the school district or state agency level. (Author/DLS)

The Enabler Model (EM), a non-prescriptive approach to help communities implement their early childhood programs, is described in this paper. The model is based on the positive educational value of human individuality, the life-long ability of all humans to learn and develop, and the power of human sociability in determining the content, extent,…

The document reviews the technical assistance process used by TADS (Technical Assistance Development System), a project to provide support to HCEEP (Handicapped Children's Early Education Program) demonstration projects serving young handicapped children and their families. Chapter 1, by P. Trohanis, focuses on a number of questions that people…

This resource guide provides a definition of and an evaluation design for community education programs. The author defines a community education program as a planned response to ongoing community needs which is operationalized through coordination and scheduling of locally available resources to given target populations. The following evaluation…

Proposed is a regional (Northeast) model to stimulate and draw together local and state services in a Resource Linking System for special education. It is explained that the model would provide the following five functions: appraisal of teachers' training needs, management and development of materials, field-based inservice training for teachers…

A "learning by doing" class was offered by the University of Minnesota to teach needs assessment concepts and approaches. The needs assessment was conducted at the Onan Corporation, which produces industrial engines and other equipment. The class was composed of nine graduate students in industrial or vocational education and was…

Estimates suggest that 20 to 25% of U.S. students change schools each year, and this figure is higher in school districts with a relatively large immigrant population. The guidelines in this technical assistance packet provide strategic suggestions for welcoming newcomers to a school or district, something that has become an essential facet of…

A two-part report, sponsored by the Northwest Regional Exchange, focuses on the role of technical assistance in educational settings. This document, part II of the report, examines selected change models for establishing technical assistance systems and implications for action. After a brief introduction, the following critical components of…

Details the planning of an education center intended to introduce community education more effectively to Indian communities by providing them with technical assistance and facilitator-type leadership training in a field-based mode. Notes the goals, proposed functions, and planning timetable of the center, and what makes it unique. (SB)

This guide draws on case studies to identify lessons for small and midsized firms who wish to improve the quality of their services and facilitate change. Following an introduction, section 2 describes the context in which the research was undertaken after a needs analysis was conducted of small and midsized businesses and service providers, and…

As the final report on the National Indian Education Association's (NIEA) Library Project, this document presents the following: (1) an introduction (describes the general condition of American Indian library service, the involvement of NIEA, and the project's objectives and time line); (2) the methodology of Phase I: identification of…