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The importance of all children achieving adequate reading outcomes by the end of third grade cannot be overstated. Awareness is growing nationwide of the dividends of early reading success and the dire consequences of early reading failure. Schools need a prevention-oriented assessment and intervention system to prevent reading difficulties from occurring and to keep children on track for achieving reading outcomes. This monograph describes the use of Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) and Curriculum-Based Measurement Reading within an Outcomes-Driven Model of educational decision making. The model is prevention-oriented and is designed to preempt reading difficulties and support all children to achieve adequate reading outcomes by the end of third grade. The model incorporates conceptual foundations regarding crucial early literacy skills for assessment and instruction and is focused on empirically validated outcomes for each early literacy skill. The model builds on reliable and valid measures of essential early literacy skills (DIBELS) to be used to document growth toward outcomes, as well as a set of steps for using the data generated by the measures at both the individual and systems levels. In this monograph, descriptions of the big ideas of early literacy--phonological awareness, alphabetic principle, accuracy and fluency with connected text--are provided and each step of the Outcomes-Driven Model is described with examples provided illustrating each component decisions for individual students. The monograph concludes with a discussion of the use of DIBELS data within an Outcomes-Driven Model to make school- or district-wide decisions at a systems level. (Contains 28 references, and 10 figures and 2 tables of data.) (Author/RS)

Syntheses of reading research conducted by the National Research Council (1998) and more recently by the Congressionally-Commissioned National Reading Panel (2000) provide ample evidence of the skills, experience, and knowledge children need to become successful readers in an alphabetic writing system. This research makes clear that children must develop and demonstrate proficiency in the "big ideas" (Kame'enui and Simmons, 1998) of phonemic awareness, alphabetic understanding, and automaticity with the code. This monograph examines the intricacies of teaching beginning reading in schools, describes a prevention model of schoolwide reading improvement, and profiles the lessons learned from implementing the model in a suburban school district. The monograph's model can help guide schools' selection, implementation, and sustainability of practices and programs that fit their unique host environments and hold to the standard of research-based practice. The monograph contends that although the goal that all children read by Grade 3 is ambitious, for administrators and teachers in schools across the nation and for the well being of children it is non-negotiable. (Contains 15 figures and 27 references.) (NKA)

This booklet provides an analysis of discipline referral data from several schools and illustrates how these data call for specific interventions. It examines ways to link office discipline-referral data to schoolwide discipline, provides referral data-analysis methods, and describes how discipline data can show intervention need and success. The findings indicate that prevention-based approaches to schoolwide discipline and the management of students with severe problem behavior are preferred because of the potential to reduce the development of new cases of problem behavior and the number of current cases of problem behavior. Results from middle schools suggest that universal interventions would be the focus of reform if the number of referrals per student exceeded 2.5, the number of referrals per day exceeded 8, and/or the percentage of students with more than one referral was greater than 45 percent. A model that considers office-discipline referral data as a means of directing the selection of universal, selected-group, and targeted-individual schoolwide efforts is proposed. Schools wishing to provide a safe, disciplined, and violence-free education should begin by assessing their current school safety and behavior support status and then build a three-tiered discipline system of universal, selected, and targeted/intensive interventions. (RJM)

This bulletin reports on a survey of existing school-district foundations in Oregon to determine their organizational structures, their fund-raising efforts, their expenditure priorities, and their successes. Included in the report are the results of survey data from 34 school foundations, along with the names and phone numbers of contact people in each of the responding foundations. The survey questionnaire was sent to the superintendents of all Oregon's 198 school districts. In addition to the survey, respondents were asked to provide samples of their bylaws and other materials they considered to be of interest to school districts planning to establish a foundation. A total of 120 districts responded, and of these, 34 districts identified themselves as having foundations. The results describe how many years the school foundations have been in existence, how the funds are used, what support the districts provide foundations, how the foundations raise their money, how much money the foundations have, the extent and nature of the foundations' publicity efforts, and the governance of the foundations, such as the size of the board of directors and the length of board members' service. Three appendices contain examples of publicity information, annual reports, and bylaws of school foundations from different size districts. (RJM)

This bulletin outlines the major components of a crisis-preparedness and response plan for schools. It lists the critical components of a safe-school plan, such as community coordination, curriculum, proactive student discipline policies and procedures, safe physical environment, school security, staff and student training, evaluation and monitoring of school safety, and a crisis-response plan. It describes the goals of a crisis-response team, and examines what needs to be done before a crisis, including the formation of a crisis-response team within the school, the development of a written crisis or emergency response plan, the coordination of the plan with community emergency personnel, and the training of staff on elements of the plan. The document also details responses to crises on or away from the school grounds and discusses the major steps of a crisis-response procedure, such as how to deal with the media. Suggestions for helping students cope with loss, an overview of how to handle special situations, including returning to the scene, and some of the followup procedures for students, staff, and caregivers are provided. Listings of further resources, the manifestations of grief in youth, and other information appear at the end. (Contains 20 references.) (RJM)

This article examines a collaborative practice-based research project. It recounts the experiences of a kindergarten teacher as she implemented a program to increase family involvement in education. The text is based on classroom documents, parent meetings, and parent interviews. The setting for the narrative is a Basic School, a type of school founded on the vision of Ernest Boyer that positions parents as a child's first and most important teachers. To facilitate parent participation, the teacher reviewed the literature on family involvement and then chose a strategy that would lead to a genuine collaboration between home and school and thus bring families closer to their children's education. The report describes the tactics the teacher used to learn more about the children and their families and what these families viewed as priorities. It discusses her decision to use the activity-based assessment (ABA) inventory to guide conversations about what families wanted their children to learn and how the ABA served as the organizing principle for a series of family meetings. The document evaluates these efforts to involve family members in their children's education and the decision to use practice-based research to analyze these efforts. It details the extent of involvement and the subsequent results. (Contains 12 references.) (RJM)

The University of Oregon (UO) and Captain Robert Gray Elementary School formed a partnership where UO students used the elementary school as a case study for curriculum research. This document gives an overview of the 7-step process the students used to align the school's curriculum with Oregon's content and performance standards. The text opens with what curriculum aligners need to get started and provides information on the content standards timeline, the Oregon statewide assessment system, scoring guides, and the state-test schedule. The booklet then outlines the step-by-step process of curriculum alignment. These steps are: (1) "collect your school's Oregon statewide assessment data"; (2) "chart your school's assessment data by content-standard strand"; (3) analyze the data; (4) write a school-improvement goal and develop activities to carry out that goal based on analysis of the data; (5) develop content-standard strand booklets for each content-standard strand; (6) map content-standard strand by month; and (7) align textbook and other teacher resources using a month-by-month curriculum map. After teachers have completed the process, they can begin to compare their curriculum maps with those of other teachers. The activity should occur across grade levels and even across school levels. A statistics and probability chart and curriculum mapping form are included. (RJM)

This monograph reviews the research in linkages between schools and families of children with disabilities. An introductory section offers vignettes showing a typical school/home relationship of a family with a Down syndrome child in either 1958, 1978, or 1998. Part 1 considers what research has found about family functioning in terms of the adaptive family (models of stress and coping), the evolving family (models of family life course development), and the active family (the importance of routine activities for understanding family perspectives). Key research findings on family adaptation to raising a child with a developmental disability are summarized. Part 2 offers principles of collaboration between families and educators, including: (1) family-school collaboration is not consent, co-optation, or collusion; and (2) family-school collaboration should be characterized by access and affirmation. Part 3 offers two examples of activity-based linkages between schools and families: first, an assessment inventory to expand and adapt elementary and secondary curriculum; and, second, family-centered assessment in early childhood. Part 4 identifies some issues in family school linkages, such as the need for family narratives, cross cultural competence and family diversity, and inclusive education. (Contains 71 references.) (DB)

Oregon's annual dropout rate increased from 6 percent in the 1992-93 school year to 7.4 percent in the 1994-95 school year. Some schools, however, managed to reduce their dropout rate. This report explores the strategies that worked for 15 Oregon high schools that reduced their dropout rate. Interviews were conducted with representatives of Oregon high schools that had reduced their dropout rate by 1.5 percent or more during the period from 1993-94 to 1994-95. The sample included 13 principals, 1 assistant principal, 2 teachers, 3 counselors, and 1 director of instruction. A portrait of each high school reveals its programs and other efforts on behalf of at-risk youth. Most schools with effective programs for assisting at-risk youth had two things in common: the school culture functioned as both a positive, supportive community and a "high-reliability" organization (Rossi and Stringfield 1995). (LMI)

Technology and structural change in education are inextricably linked. That is, schools generally need to change the way they do things to take full advantage of technology, and the use of technology tends to change what happens in schools. This report examines recent theory and practice of schools and school districts planning for educational technology, focusing on using a systemic approach to technology planning. Educational technology refers to software and hardware that are used to assist, present, or assess teaching and learning. Chapter 1 presents the case for making technology planning part of a larger effort to anticipate, coordinate, or create change. Chapter 2 reviews some common planning practices, followed by a short checklist for the planning process. Chapter 3 offers examples of systemic plans for technology developed by Oregon districts. Some of the material was drawn from interviews with six directors or coordinators of technology planning. The focus throughout is on technology planning as a concrete process that results in a technology plan. (Contains 40 references.) (LMI)

This document addresses the twin issues of youth violence and school safety. Violence from the larger society has spilled over into schools in ways that can make them unsafe, and school safety has emerged as a pressing concern of public schools. Violence within the context of schooling is expressed in extreme forms of reactive and proactive aggression, antisocial behavior patterns and oppositional-defiant behavior. Schools are highly vulnerable to the damaging effects of these student behaviors and often must take radical steps to prevent, control and offset their toxic effects. This report addresses with key issues, problems, approaches and recommended solutions to these challenges to the schooling process. In addition, additional resources are recommended to establish and maintain a safe school environment and teach all students how to resolve conflicts peacefully, express empathy, develop friendships and positive relationships with others, regulate one's behavior, and accept the consequences of one's actions. It is essential that schools take steps to address two key goals in making the school safe: (1) to insure that the physical facility is designed appropriately and that the school environment is supervised carefully and (2) to establish a safe, positive, inclusive and academically effective school environment. Achievement of these two goals will make it possible for schools to again become safe havens in which to teach and socialize children. (Author)

Integrative education, although organized around curriculum, also unites people and activities. This monograph explores the integration of people, activities, and subject matter as seen through the eyes of those who support and implement the meaning and processes of integrative education. In chapter 1, scholars and trainers in and out of academia offer expertise and experiences gained from their scholarly pursuits and action research in schools around the country. Chapter 2 identifies leadership and administrative tasks necessary to encourage and support integrative education. Teachers excited about implementing integrative education share their experiences in chapter 3. Finally, chapter 4 presents implications of and possibilities for policy on integrative education. Findings are based on interviews with a total of 11 educators--teachers, principals, professors of education, and staff-development or curriculum coordinators. A bulletin-in-brief on integrative education is included. (Contains 31 references and 1 table.) (LMI)

Block Scheduling has been considered a cure for a lengthy list of educational problems. This report reviews the literature on block schedules and describes some Oregon high schools that have integrated block scheduling. Major disadvantages included resistance to change and requirements that teachers change their teaching strategies. There is evidence, however, that block scheduling leads to a more relaxed school atmosphere, improved student attitudes, improved student-teacher relationships, decreased dropout rates, decreased absenteeism, a dramatic drop in disciplinary problems, and accelerated student progress. Recommendations for successful change include: (1) promote stakeholder ownership; (2) obtain support from the school district and school board; (3) provide adequate time for planning, staff-development opportunities, and collaborative problem solving; (4) brainstorm creative alternatives; and (5) conduct regular evaluation. Interviews were conducted with a total of 20 principals, assistant principals, administrators, and educators. (Contains 32 references.) (LMI)

Assessment of student progress is a challenge for educators who use developmentally appropriate practices such as multiage grouping. Interest in alternative types of assessment has become widespread. These performance-based, or authentic, assessments are explored in this document, which presents assessment strategies that work effectively with multiage instructional approaches. Chapter 1 begins by examining the purposes of assessment and then compares the characteristics, strengths, and limitations of conventional and authentic assessments. Chapter 2 explores methods used to assess and document the process of learning, such as observation, anecdotal records, and developmental checklists, and presents means of assessing, evaluating, and organizing authentic products of student learning. Issues involved in reporting student progress to parents and administration are examined in the third chapter. Chapter 4 considers the implications of authentic-assessment approaches for administrators and school boards, and summarizes what administrators should know about teachers' requirements to effectively implement new assessment methods. A summary publication is included. The appendix contains an overview of authentic-assessment practices in Oregon. Data were gathered from interviews with 10 educators and assessment specialists. (Contains 97 references.) (LMI)

A growing number of schools and districts are considering using teams to handle all types of decision making and advisory activities. The term "teams" can be applied to a wide spectrum of groups with various purposes or powers. This bulletin was designed to assist those who want to create efficient, successful teams. It provides suggestions on effective structures and practices for different types of work teams at the district and school levels. The total-quality-management principles of W. Edwards Deming provide the philosophical foundation for successful teamwork in schools. Chapter 1 introduces the concept of total quality management and explains what districts and schools have learned from the business world's experience with work teams. Chapter 2 provides the rationale behind the work-team approach to decision-making in schools and education, highlighting the advantages of using a team approach. The third chapter lists various types of teams used in education and offers examples from Oregon schools and districts. Team functions and members' roles are described in chapter 4, with a focus on the facilitator's relationship to other team members. The fifth chapter cites common problems and offers a platform for experienced team members and consultants to give advice on how to overcome those problems. The final chapter summarizes steps schools can take to ensure the success of their teams. A summary of quality work teams is included. (Contains 37 references.) (Author/LMI)

This bulletin focuses on the role that community plays in creating a positive school environment. Drawing from research and practice, it offers insights and suggestions for helping children form social bonds, instilling in them core values, and serving as a safe haven for those students whose home lives lack a sense of safety. The bulletin begins with a brief discussion of the term "school community." Chapter 1 outlines the essential characteristics of community and notes the difficulties of defining the boundaries of school community. Chapter 2 provides evidence in support of the benefits of a strong school community. The third chapter presents three case studies in community-building, which offer working models that administrators and practitioners can use in selecting and developing strategies in their own schools. Profiles of two principals are offered in chapter 4, in which the innovative strategies the principals used to create a caring environment for students is described. Chapter 5 offers recommendations for developing a strong sense of community within the school. Suggestions focus not only on forging bonds among people but on creating a sense of place. (Contains 41 references.) (LMI)

The concept of full inclusion challenges school districts to include all students, regardless of the type or degree of disabling conditions, in regular classrooms at their neighborhood schools. This Bulletin examines some of the concerns that inclusion raises. Its summary of national research and interviews with 14 Oregon educators provide guidelines for effective practice. The introduction provides a brief history of the impetus for inclusion and describes the Oregon perspective. Chapter 1 highlights the most frequently voiced arguments both for and against inclusion. Elements of successful inclusion programs are described in the second chapter, some of which include adequate support, an established policy, enthusiastic teachers and administrators, and openness to change. Chapter 3 describes situations in which inclusion has failed, usually due to inadequate preparation, training, and support. Current practices in selected Oregon schools are described in the fourth chapter. The final chapter examines issues of funding and the reform of federal-funding requirements. A conclusion is that inclusion is most successful when it is coupled with a broader restructuring that includes multiaged classrooms. A four-page condensation of the Bulletin and a sample policy statement from Montgomery County, Maryland, are included. (LMI)

In Oregon, many schools and school districts are turning to private funding to help sustain and enrich the quality of education in their districts. Their vehicle of choice: the local education foundation (LEF). This report describes the nature of private fund raising for public schools and examines its uses as a partial remedy for budget shortfalls. At least 25 new LEFs have been organized throughout Oregon since 1990. Many LEF spokespersons identify the property-tax cap as a major reason for appealing to private sources for help. The report describes how school foundations are started, fund-raising methods, fund-raising targets, target-giving options, relationships of LEFs to school boards, and the issue of equity. However, the practice may send the message that state support is no longer necessary and should not be relied upon as a long-term or stable source of revenue. LEFs can, however, alleviate some financial needs, unite the school district, and provide opportunities to students and personnel. Interviews were conducted with 21 educators, foundation directors, and foundation personnel. Privately raised funds account for less than 1 percent of all dollars spent on public education. (Contains 19 references.) (LMI)

The solution to the problem of violence in the schools lies not only in the protection of students, but the prevention of aggressive, antisocial behavior. This monograph is designed to help schools build a violence-prevention program from the ground up. Following the introduction, chapter 1 discusses how the causes and consequences of violence in the schools are inseparable from the roots of violence in American society. Chapter 2 examines the processes of assessing and establishing policies, programs, and facilities that research indicates are useful in preventing violence. Chapter 3 describes responsibilities at the district, school, and classroom levels. The fourth chapter provides an overview of violence-prevention programs under way in Oregon, including counseling programs, intensive primary prevention, a violence-prevention curriculum, conflict resolution and peer mediation, domestic-violence prevention, multicultural issues, anger management, substance abuse, and gangs. Outreach programs to involve students and the community are described in the final chapter. Information is based on a review of research and a total of 21 interviews conducted with juvenile counselors, school administrators, educators, a police officer, and program coordinators in Oregon. One table and a four-page condensation of the document ("Bulletin in Brief") are included. (LMI)

This bulletin provides an overview of the ways in which school districts and schools are making learning a priority in schools despite scarce resources. it describes how districts and schools make use of resources, instructional strategies, and policies to overcome the barriers caused by tight budgets. Examples from Oregon schools are provided. Data were collected from telephone interviews with 11 individuals--principals, superintendents, and directors of educational research centers. Chapter 1 focuses on the effective allocation of resources. Examples show how school districts are streamlining their administrative operations to free up resources for instruction. The chapter also examines the relationship between school inputs and student outcomes and surveys the use of technology in the classroom. Chapter 2 describes the relationship between time and student achievement. Methods of using community and business volunteers, parents, and peers to assist students are discussed in the third chapter. The fourth chapter is concerned with instructional strategies that promote learning, including ways of meeting students' needs, targeting student populations, and improving teaching methods. The final chapter discusses policies favoring student learning at the state, district, and school levels. A condensed version of the bulletin is included. (Contains 84 references.) (LMI)

A current focal point of Oregon's school restructuring effort is on closing the gap between academic and vocational disciplines to increase opportunities for all students. This Bulletin examines a spectrum of practices aimed at facilitating integration of academic and vocational education while exploring issues, problems, and solutions common to all approaches. The introduction summarizes the key arguments for integration and gives an overview of its premises. Chapter 1 introduces various models of integration and some of the components of a revised curriculum. Chapter 2 examines partnerships and collaborative efforts--key components of the shift to applied learning--among various members of the education system. The third chapter examines barriers to integration and synthesizes successful administrative approaches. The conclusion highlights ongoing issues that must be confronted as the process of integration moves forward. Data from telephone interviews conducted with 10 Oregon education specialists and administrators illustrate chapter themes. (LMI)

"Facilitative leadership" may be defined as the ability of principals to lead without controlling, while making it easier for all members of the school community to achieve agreed-upon goals. The bulk of the Bulletin consists of a discussion of 10 propositions related to facilitative leadership drawn from 3 sources: (1) studies in 1991-93 of 9 Oregon schools that were members of the Oregon Network, a federally funded grant designed to enable schools in school restructuring; (2) earlier research conducted with Oregon schools; and (3) observations of other researchers studying the interaction between leadership and restructuring. The propositions are grouped under three broad headings--creating and managing meaning, facilitating the process, and operating in an organizational context. Strengths and limitations of facilitative leadership are illuminated. Also described are the interactions among various organizational and system functions when leadership behaviors change. (Contains 43 references.) (MLF)

Like school-based management, school-site councils offer some attractive reform possibilities, including broadly based, democratic decision-making; enhanced sensitivity to specific school climates; and widely shared responsibility. Site councils can be ineffective, even harmful, when lacking sufficient support, expertise, and time to succeed. This bulletin suggests ways to construct effective site councils, pointing out councils' possibilities and the demanding steps required to realize them. Chapter 1 discusses the nature of school-site councils, their relationship to school-based management, their many advantages, and necessary development precautions. Chapter 2 shows how to initiate a school-site council, treating council composition, selection of leaders and members, and bylaws, training, and first steps. Chapter 3 describes how councils actually operate; topics include running meetings, making decisions, overcoming common difficulties (such as authoritarian principals, factionalism, lack of time, and accountability), and developing effective roles for principals, teachers, and other council members. The final chapter surveys the relationship between the site council and other groups, including parents, school and district staff, and the school board. The chapter closes by discussing the policy implications of school-site councils. Contains 26 references and a list of 24 interviews. (MLH)

The purpose of this Bulletin is to clarify the intent of shared decision making (SDM) and explore its benefits, drawbacks, and implementation. It looks at how the principal's role changes in SDM, stresses the need for training, examines conditions that affect successful implementation of SDM, and offers ideas on how schools can concentrate on significant educational issues. Following the introduction, chapter 1 summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of SDM. Chapter 2 describes teachers' and administrators' concerns about SDM that must be addressed, and chapters 3 and 4 discuss aspects of the principal's new role and the need for staff preparation. The fifth chapter offers guidelines for implementation, with a focus on structure and decision making. A model for the gradual evolution of responsibility is described. Nine lessons for avoiding the pitfalls of implementation are highlighted in chapter 6. The final chapter outlines how SDM is working at sites in four different states--the Colorado Independent School District (Texas), University Elementary School (Los Angeles), Dade County (Florida), and North Eugene High School (Eugene, Oregon). Three figures and an appendix containing a partial list of SDM-training programs and resources are included. (LMI)

The ordinary conduct of school business is accompanied today by risks that were rare or unknown a few decades ago. School administrators are continually being challenged to develop new strategies to safeguard their districts' assets. Risk management is a coordinated effort to protect an organization's assets, both human and financial, from all types of risk. The first step is systematic identification of all risks to which the district may be exposed, and analysis of these risks by their probable frequency and severity. The next step, loss control, seeks to reduce or eliminate risks by preventive actions. Risk financing strategies are then used to reduce the district's financial vulnerability to the remaining, unavoidable risks. The purpose of this bulletin is to help school district officials initiate or improve their own program of risk management. Chapter 1 discusses ways of identifying and evaluating risks. Chapter 2 focusses on loss prevention. Chapter 3 examines options for financing risk. Chapter 4 explores the ways four Oregon school districts manage risk. Finally, chapter 5 considers how school boards and administrators can support risk management. (MLF)

Factors that can powerfully affect an educator's ability to manage school change are culture, leadership, and readiness. Movement from bureaucracy to community, from isolation to collaboration, involves cultural changes. Managing the change process within a cultural context is influenced by the structural, human resources, political, and symbolic frames of reference that a leader employs when analyzing the organization. Leadership in schools continues to revolve around the role of principal. Principals need to develop a clear, unified focus, create a common cultural perspective, and support a constant push for improvement. Creating readiness for change is a precondition to restructuring. Several models suggest stages that leaders should understand before they begin a transformative change process. Ten commitments to change that a school staff might embrace are identified, and a series of questions are provided that can be used to assess current practices and ascertain which restructuring goals a school is ready to undertake. One effective means of building readiness is to provide staff the opportunity to visit schools that are actively involved in restructuring and ask questions about meaning, organization, and effects of change. (Contains 23 references.) (MLF)

In this theme issue of The "OSSC Bulletin" educators speak out about what they think their schools are doing right. The project goal was to select schools with varied socioeconomic backgrounds from different parts of the state, as well as to include at least one rural school and one innercity school. The two elementary schools, two middle schools, and four high schools selected have a reputation for doing a number of things right. In most cases, telephone interviews were conducted with one administrator and one teacher from each school. The schools are organized into three categories: (1) schools that appear to be consistently "good"; (2) "turnaround" schools; and (3) schools that have experienced a change in circumstances. In addition to a profile on each school, chapters are organized into categories based on administrators' and teachers' responses. A sidebar is provided for each school, giving an overview of socioeconomic background, location, unique characteristics, and other information. The conclusion briefly describes the successful elements that these schools have in common including leadership, parent involvement, and social services. Appended are the names and school affiliation of the 22 persons interviewed. (MLF)