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This report highlights 10 of the most advanced and talked-about teacher evaluation systems nationally: Delaware; Rhode Island; Tennessee; Hillsborough County, Florida; Houston, Texas; New Haven, Connecticut; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Washington, DC (referred to throughout just as Washington); Achievement First (a charter management organization, or CMO); and the Relay Graduate School of Education in New York City. Together, these systems serve more than 1.6 million students each year. These are not the only systems taking on this work, but they are trailblazers. None of the sites featured would say they have fully "figured out" teacher evaluation. Nor do the authors hold them up as examples of perfection. Yet they have all worked long and hard to carefully and thoughtfully tackle the most difficult challenges related to developing and implementing a high-quality teacher evaluation system. This report consists of four components: (1) A brief which provides an overview of the report and background on the topics addressed in the other documents, including key questions, implementation options and trade-offs, and key terms; (2) A cross-site analysis that looks across all 10 sites and summarizes key components of their evaluation systems; (3) 10 detailed profiles of the teacher evaluation systems at our featured sites; and (4) A library of documents that are the building blocks of the 10 systems. Individual site profiles contain sources. (Contains 36 footnotes.) [This paper was created with 50CAN and Public Impact. Funding for this paper was provided by H. A. Vance Foundation.]

This cross-site analysis presents findings about the implementation, impact, and outcomes of the Young Adult Capacity Initiative (YACI), at 13 community-based organizations in New York City. These agencies received technical assistance and small incentive grants from the Fund for the City of New York Youth Development Institute (YDI) to build their capacity to address the needs of "disconnected" young adults. The Academy for Educational Development (AED) studied five of these sites intensively and produced case studies in a separate document. AED also produced a separate report of findings from a longitudinal survey of YACI participants. This cross-site analysis was undertaken to foster understanding of the overall initiative and thus contribute to the knowledge base in several areas, including the needs of disconnected youth, youth development in general, community-based young adult services, and the effective provision of technical assistance (TA) to community-based, youth-serving organizations. AED and YDI identified a set of issues and topics they considered important for interpreting the case-study data and "telling the story." The cross-site findings show a broad range of implementation types and programming particulars, as well as program challenges and success factors. Findings derived from this breadth of experience illuminate ways to implement, sustain, and scale up programming to address the needs of disconnected youth and young adults--an underserved segment of the youth population. (Contains 2 footnotes.)

This exploratory study describes approaches to improving schools through retrospective, in-depth qualitative case studies. To select schools to be examined, the authors sought to identify Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) schools demonstrating two distinctive patterns of improved student achievement between 2000 and 2005, rapid-improvement (i.e., schools that made quick and dramatic improvements in student achievement over a one or two year time period) as well as slow-and-steady (i.e., schools that made noteworthy student achievement improvements but over a four or five year timeframe). This process led the authors to study 11 schools. This report provides examples of how some schools appear to be achieving noteworthy gains in student outcomes; while achieving these gains appears to be relatively rare, there also appears to be multiple ways to do so. This study points to the dynamic settings in which many low-performing schools operate and the need for ongoing investigation of how schools can achieve impressive results and sustain them in constantly changing environments. Researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in recent years have paid much attention to the scientific search for "what works" to improve schools and turn them around. This study's findings draw attention to the fact that turning schools around is not just about adopting a set of effective or promising practices. It is about recognizing that "one best system" does not exist--that no single approach can guarantee improvement in a particular school. It is also about implementing practices well, while at the same time navigating and adapting to a constantly changing landscape. Appended are: (1) Detailed Methodology; (2) Data Collection Instruments; and (3) Site Abstracts. (Contains 56 exhibits and 32 footnotes.)

This paper's title summarizes the authors' two main aims. For a number of years, the authors have been helping high schools and districts that are attempting to create or improve career academies. Their assistance includes developing the schools' own capacity to keep track of results for students, relying mainly on information that is ordinarily available from student transcripts. They believe it is essential for schools themselves to continuously gauge results of career academies (or other educational programs), because even if career academies (or other programs) have been found to be effective somewhere, they are unlikely to be effective everywhere. Therefore, one purpose of this paper is to describe how schools can self-monitor, and what they can learn in the process of operating career academies. Second, they wish to add to general knowledge about career academies, by testing some ideas about why they may be more effective in some places and times than in others. Specifically, they conduct a cross-site analysis to explore whether sites that implement certain features of the academy model to a greater degree also obtain bigger gains in performance of academy students. Both parts of the analysis in this paper focus on student performance during high school, not post-high school outcomes such as employment or college attendance. (Contains 10 tables and 10 footnotes.)

Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of the United States on August 29, 2005, and triggered one of the most devastating natural disasters in the history of the nation. New Orleans, in particular, and the schools that served the community's children, suffered severe storm damage and massive flooding. Central to the city's strategy of getting back on its feet was reopening as many of the city's schools as soon as possible. To begin the process of determining the condition of the buildings in the school system, the school superintendent asked the Council of the Great City Schools to review and assess a number of schools to determine which, if any, could be reopened in relatively short order. The group was specifically asked to: (1) Conduct a preliminary assessment of at least 16 schools in the New Orleans school district; (2) Determine the extent of damage caused to the school buildings by Hurricane Katrina; (3) Determine whether any of the schools could be reopened within 60 to 120 days; (4) Identify which eight-to-ten schools could be brought back into operation the fastest; and (5) Make a series of recommendations to the district about next steps in the rebuilding process. Twenty-one schools were visited, and the following general observations recorded: (1) Most of the buildings inspected by the team experienced minor to moderate storm damage; (2) At least 15 of the 21 schools inspected could be brought back online within 45 days from date of inspection, contingent on the availability of contractors; (3) Many of the schools were in various states of disrepair or had numerous life/safety code violations; (4) Much of the water damage the teams observed appeared to have come through broken or blown out windows, roof vents, roof dormers and skylights; (5) The district will have to find ways outside of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) process to spruce up the schools that it opens first; (6) The district may be too optimistic about the availability of contractors and overly optimistic about how long the entire reclaiming process will take; (7) The district had not secured contractors at the time of the site visits to begin renovating the schools; and (8) The district will be eligible for disaster mitigation grants, which should be requested within a few months. Eleven recommendations were offered: (1) Begin drying out buildings and conducting emergency patching to prevent additional rain damage over the next three months while repairs are being arranged and conducted; (2) Take the opportunity that the disaster presents to fix up the district's schools and keep them repaired; (3) Address major life safety issues in schools that are to be opened soonest; (4) Get grass cut around all schools to be reopened; (5) Conduct an immediate effort to paint and do other cosmetic repairs on the schools that the district opens immediately; (6) Concentrate available resources on the schools to be reopened; (7) Expect that the process of resolving issues with FEMA and the insurance industry could take upwards of ten years; (8) Accompany FEMA and insurance representatives on any additional building assessments and site visits; (9) Assign a person to lead and a team of staff to work exclusively on FEMA and insurance claim issues; (10) Immediately secure a contractor to being the repair work; and (11) Expect that the entire rebuilding and FEMA rebuilding effort will probably take seven to ten years. (The report contains two appendixes: (1) Strategic Support Team; and (2) About the Council. Photographs and chart of specific findings for each school visited are included.)

In Ohio, as across the nation generally, states are challenged to serve more students, conduct more research, and train more workers with less state support. State policymakers and members of the media often question whether Ohio is over-invested in its higher education facilities. In response to these concerns, and to better understand Ohio's ability to meet current and projected educational needs of the state, Regents staff worked with representatives of Ohio's public colleges and universities to prepare this first-ever study of the capacity of state-funded colleges and universities to serve Ohio's students. The goal of the study is to evaluate the capacity of Ohio's higher education facilities to meet current and future needs. By providing state decision makers and citizens with this information, it is hoped that the report will clarify misunderstandings that may exist and contribute to the decision making process that governs the allocation of state capital resources. Three qualifications defined the scope of this study: (1) The study reports on four categories of space (Classrooms; Classroom Labs; Offices; Residence Halls); (1) Only credit activity is measured in the classroom and classroom lab capacity calculations (References to the number of students enrolled include only those students involved in courses taken for degree credit); and (3) Study includes only those facilities that are owned by the institution (Leased space is not included in the analysis.) Major study findings include: (1) At the state level, Ohio's public higher education system was operating almost at capacity in Fiscal Year 2003; (2) There is a serious shortage of classroom, lab, and office space that is in good condition; and (3) Ohio has a large bloc of aging facilities that present campuses with a number of issues (including challenging health and safety issues) that need to be addressed in the near future. The report recommends that campuses and universities be encouraged to reinvest in aging facilities or replace aging facilities with new facilities, but that major state capital investments will be required to address these issues. Two appendixes are included: (1) Calculations and Assumptions; and (1) Other Studies. (Contains 13 footnotes, 2 figures, and 7 tables.)

This document represents the first of two volumes presented in "Study of the Impact of the Statewide Systemic Initiatives Program" (Norman L. Webb and Iris R. Weiss). In an effort to evaluate the impact of the Statewide Systemic Initiatives (SSIs) on student achievement and the lessons that could be learned from the National Science Foundation's effort to reform mathematics and science education on a statewide basis, research studies identified the technical strategies, the political strategies, and the interactions with funders that were critical factors in the attempt to effect significant change in student learning over large populations. Documents were received on 21 of the 26 SSIs. More intensive data were collected via telephone interviews of key personnel in seven of these states and during site visits in six other states. Among a number of lessons learned were the following: It was vital to incorporate enough flexibility within the design so that information produced by research, evaluation, and monitoring could be effectively used (technical lesson); the creation of partnerships with policy organizations significantly advanced policy work (political lesson); and, SSI leaders and funders needed to develop a shared, in-depth understanding of the reform strategies as these fit the local context (interaction with funders). The following are appended: (1) SRI International Evaluation Reports; (2) Abt Associates Inc. Monitoring Reports; (3) Coding Scheme: Chronology and Components; (4) Coding Scheme: Strategic Planning, Decision-Making, and Thinking; (5) Coding Scheme: Key Challenges; (6) Interview Protocol for Telephone Interviews and Site Visits; (7) Case Report: Arkansas Statewide Systemic Initiative; (8) Case Report: Maine Statewide Systemic Initiative; (9) Case Report: Michigan Statewide Systemic Initiative; (10) Case Report: Nebraska Statewide Systemic Initiative; (11) Case Report: Puerto Rico Statewide Systemic Initiative; and (12) Case Report: Vermont Statewide Systemic Initiative. [For Volume II of this report, see ED497577.]

This report reviews the proposal by the West Hills Community College District (WHCCD) (California) to transition its off-campus center to full college status. The proposal's objectives include: (1) establishing a new comprehensive college that will serve approximately 1,700 full-time-equivalent students by 2015; and (2) providing greater access to higher educational opportunities for the under-served population of the district and improve community college attendance rates in the region. According to the proposal, given the expansive territory the district covers, enrollments at other district facilities will not be adversely impacted by the new campus. The report presents a summary of the California Postsecondary Education Commission's (CPEC) conclusions regarding the advisability of the proposal with respect to four CPEC criteria for the establishment of new postsecondary institutions: (1) enrollment projections; (2) programmatic alternatives; (3) serving the disadvantaged; and (4) academic planning and program justification. The report concludes with the Commission's recommendation to approve the proposal. Appended are letters in support of the proposal; the Commission's Guidelines for Review of Proposed University Campuses, Community Colleges, and Educational Centers; and a copy of the Commission's conclusions concerning Kings County Center. (RC)

This paper discusses key issues in fast-tracking the acquisition of school sites in California. Discussion addresses: (1) assembling an experienced team; (2) whether the property owner is a willing or unwilling seller; (3) level of community support or opposition to the site; (4) timing and commencement of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) analysis; (5) timing and sequencing of statutory notices and approvals, including approvals by the Department of Education and Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC); (6) relocation assistance issues; and (7) vesting of title, prejudgment possession, and eminent domain actions. (EV)

This report presents the Front Range Community College (FRCC) (Colorado) Office of Institutional Research's recent expansion of its data analysis and reporting capabilities to include a geographic information system (GIS). Utilizing ArcView GIS software, the college is better able to visualize institutional and environmental data. They have created a mapping database of their state and service area to which institutional and environmental scanning information can be added. The resulting maps geographically display select data. In addition to creating a unique visual representation, GIS allows for spatial data analysis that would not be possible otherwise. This increases the ability to distinguish trends or patterns that may go unnoticed when data are presented in traditional tables or graphs only. The report includes a presentation of how FRCC utilized GIS to answer the following questions: (1) where do FRCC students live? (2) how would moving a site affect students? (3) is the Multimedia Technology program attracting students from outside the designated service area? And (4) where is Colorado's biotechnology industry located? Ideas for future applications include marketing and program evaluation. Report includes eight GIS generated displays. (KP)

This document updates California's 1966 guidelines for school district determination of land size needs to support their education programs. The guide reflects the changes in educational programs that have affected school site usage and size requirements and includes recommended changes in site acreage for very large schools; equal access for female athletes; classroom size and class size reductions; the need for a master plan of the site and functional link between educational specifications and site size; and site requirements for county community schools, community day schools, and continuation high schools. Also provided are numerous dimensional figures for athletic fields and courts. The document's final section presents procedures for developing a site plan. Appendices contain a comparison of school site sizes for 1966 and 2000; and lists site requirements for small schools and elementary through high school facilities, county community schools, community day schools, and continuation high schools. (GR)

In less than five years, the California State Library-sponsored InFoPeople project connected 46% of California's public libraries to the Internet and established a highly regarded, sustained training program to assist librarians in taking advantage of the new networked resources and services. The primary objective of this Stage II report was to conduct site visits at selected InFoPeople public libraries in the various regional planning areas throughout the state. Findings from the site visits and interviews that are presented in this report cover the following areas: public access to the Internet at public libraries throughout the state; impact of InFoPeople training; utility of the community plan requirement; utility of the community partner requirement; key impacts on library users and communities; key impacts on library operations and services; impact of InFoPeople's "Librarian's Index to the Internet"; future high impact information technology applications for public libraries; next steps for leveling the public library information technology playing field; and InFoPeople operations and services. Issues and recommendations for future InFoPeople directions are also presented. Appendices include the schedule of onsite evaluation interviews, profiles of libraries visited, the letter scheduling onsite visit and requesting information, and a profile of InFoPeople. (AEF)

The California legislature's Joint Legislative Audit Committee has issued a report concerning the Belmont Learning Complex (BLC) and the Los Angeles Unified School District's (LAUSD's) propensity for engaging in a series of school construction projects on contaminated land. The analysis suggests that the LAUSD was made aware of the BLC site's toxic problems as early as 1989, yet apparently had not followed applicable regulations by seeking state approval of the site prior to ensuring that the wastes had been removed. The LAUSD may have also violated their own California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines and appears to have failed to satisfy many aspects of the California Code of Regulations that govern the CEQA process. Additionally, the LAUSD may have violated the Health and Safety Code by failing to contact the Department of Toxic Substances Control prior to construction when they had "probable cause to believe" the land was contaminated. It is believed that, due to this failure of communication, the state may "pursue feasible civil and criminal actions against" offending individuals. The BLC, reported to be the most expensive high school in California history, may cost tens of millions of dollars more as remediation efforts to rid the toxic wastes from the site get underway. (GR)

This report, which is part of a study that seeks to help colleges, universities, and accreditation agencies improve their performance, presents insights gained from interviews and from documents collected in advance of and during visits to Denmark and Sweden in 1999 to examine higher education quality evaluations. Following Section 1, "Introduction," Section 2, "Antecedents and Approaches," discusses the two countries' approaches to evaluation (where they started and why they chose different strategies). Section 3, "Methodologies," focuses on the differences and similarities between the methodologies used in the two countries, and discusses preparing for evaluation, self-evaluations, user surveys, site visits, and reports and followup. Section 4, "Reactions to Evaluation," describes the institutions' reactions to the evaluation process. Section 5, "Impacts," assesses the impact of the two evaluation programs on quality work, discusses how evaluation affects academic autonomy, and comments upon the diffusion of quality work across institutions and their departments. Three monographs are appended: "Educational Quality Work (NCPI)" by William F. Massy and Andrea K. Wilger (1999); "Educational Quality Work in Denmark and Sweden"; and "A System for Quality Assurance and Quality Development" by Bengt-Ove Bostrom. (Includes 79 endnotes.) (SM)

This three-part report presents the recommendations of the California Postsecondary Education Commission on a proposal by the San Luis Obispo County Community College District (SLOCCCD) to create an educational center in the City of Paso Robles. Part 1 provides the Commission's conclusions and recommendations, indicating that, based on a needs study for center conducted by the SLOCCCD and Commission guidelines, the proposed North County Center should be approved as a permanent educational center. Part 2 offers background information on the proposal, including discussions of statutory requirements for new educational campuses; the origins of the proposal, indicating that the District's single college in San Luis Obispo is at capacity; a general description of the SLOCCCD; and procedures for reviewing proposals. Part 3 provides an analysis of the proposal, including an overview of the commission's findings related to the following criteria: sufficient enrollment projections, a consideration of programmatic and geographic alternatives, adequate plans to serve disadvantaged students and ensure access to the center, sound academic planning, projected budgets, analyses of the environmental and social impact, likely effects on other educational institutions, and economic efficiency. Detailed guidelines for review of proposed educational institutions and a letter containing enrollment projections are appended. Maps of the SLOCCCD service area and regional topography, driving distances, and population growth are included. (HAA)

The provision of network access, resources, and services to members of the academic community is becoming an area of utmost interest and importance to academic administrators, faculty, and students. As the demand from network users grows rapidly, many network administrators are asking for resources to meet that demand; their requests are being met with questions about the costs, uses, and effects of networking at their institutions. In most cases, the information required to answer those questions is not available, nor are the tools with which to collect that information. This investigation attempts to characterize the current state of networking in academic institutions and to identify and develop tools and approaches to assess academic networking. Data was collected primarily through focus groups, interviews with individuals and small groups, and site visits to selected academic institutions. The primary method of data analysis was content analysis. Results of the study indicate: (1) there are multiple barriers to the assessment of academic networking; (2) there is little current assessment of academic networking; (3) there is an interest in assessment of academic networking and a need for assessment tools and techniques; and (4) among the tools and techniques desired are guidelines for conducting qualitative assessments, a set of quantitative measures, and a user survey instrument. (Contains 94 references.) (Author/SWC)

This report responds to a request by the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to analyze the need for and location of a new educational center in the Palmdale area of the Antelope Valley Community College District north of Los Angeles. The failure of Proposition 1C has cast the timing of this and many other college and university capital outlay projects into some doubt until a new funding mechanism can be found. Nonetheless, for reasons discussed in part two of this report, the California Postsecondary Education Commission believes it should take action on the proposal now and that the district should submit its budget change proposal and detailed budgetary plans by February. Also, the Commission comments on the uncertainties facing community college capital financing--and higher education generally--in the next few years and explains why planning should continue in spite of the financing difficulties facing the State. In the third part of the report, the Commission analyzes the district's proposal for the new center within the context of the Commission's Guidelines for the Review of Proposed University Campuses, Community Colleges, and Educational Centers. The Commission's conclusions and recommendations regarding the proposed center are found in part one. Contains 24 references and 5 appendices. (VWC)

An analysis is provided of a proposal to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges by the Antelope Valley Community College District (AVCCD) to develop an education center in Palmdale to accommodate rapid growth. First, pros and cons are discussed for the following major options: (1) increase utilization and/or expand the existing Antelope Valley Campus; (2) utilize local high school facilities and/or vacant commercial facilities; (3) share facilities with other postsecondary institutions; (4) use nontraditional modes of instructional delivery; and (5) establish an educational center in southeast Palmdale area. Based on these arguments, the report indicates that the Board approved the proposal to develop the Palmdale Education Center. Next, a description of the Center is provided, indicating that it will be located on 100 acres on the southeast edge of Palmdale as part of a proposed development to include a commercial center, golf course, and residential units. This section also indicates that initial Center enrollment is estimated at 2,942 in 1998 and describes the effects of the Center on local schools and the community. Appendixes include a map of AVCCD boundaries; land use and campus plans for the site; a street map of the region; enrollment forecasts for the AVCCD; and letters of support from local educational institutions, elected officials and business leaders. (KP)

The effectiveness of Utah's adult education (AE) program was evaluated. In September 1992, directors of 42 AE centers and 6 other sites serving adults in Utah completed questionnaires regarding AE program indicators/standards regarding administration, planning, facilities, instruction, staff development, community and public relations, evaluation, student services, and finance. In January 1993, the directors were asked to rerate those areas they had marked as needing improvement. Thirty-one completed questionnaires were returned. Additional data were obtained from eight site visits. According to the directors, their programs are generally well administered and well planned, their facilities are appropriate for AE, instruction and instructional materials are meeting most needs, staff development has improved significantly, community and public relations indicators are being met, program evaluation processes are improving, and student services are performing adequately. Among those areas cited as needing further improvement were program philosophy and operating goals, accessibility of facilities to disabled students, feedback regarding programs' effectiveness in meeting community and labor needs. (Appended are a list of AE centers contacted, the center director questionnaire, the state's present and proposed AE student questionnaires and center director's comments regarding the student questionnaire, and a report assessing testing activities.) (MN)

In this report, the California Postsecondary Education Commission responds to a request by the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to review the need for and location of a new educational center, the Madera County Educational Center, north of Fresno within the State Center Community College District. The report contains nine conclusions made by the Commission regarding enrollment projections, alternatives, serving the disadvantaged, academic planning, funding projections, accessibility, effects on other institutions, environmental impact, and economic efficiency. It makes four recommendations regarding the proposed center: (1) the Madera County Educational Center should be approved as an educational center of the State Center Community College District, (2) the Madera County Educational Center should become eligible for State capital outlay funding as of the 1994-95 fiscal year, (3) the State Center Community College District should provide the Commission with a copy of the Final Environmental Impact Report upon its completion, and (4) should the State Center Community College District propose to convert the Madera County Educational Center to a full service community college, it should submit a request for that conversion to the Commission. Part 1 presents conclusions and recommendations, Part 2 discusses the background to the proposal, and Part 3 presents an analysis of the proposal. This report contains five appendices and 17 references. (VWC)

This report presents findings from a plant survey of the University of South Florida conducted in April, 1993. It contains recommendations for the educational plants of the university for the period from April, 1993 through June, 1998. The statistics presented are intended to assist the university with the preparation of building programs submitted for review to the Board of Regents and the Office of the Governor. The report contains eight sections. The first section presents an introduction to the educational plant survey that covers the statutory foundations for the survey, the procedural policies, and the cooperative process. The second section presents an overview of the university, its historical perspective and statement of purpose. The remaining six sections contain tables that present data on: (1) the student population, (2) the academic programs and degrees offered by the university, (3) the existing inventory of sites and buildings, (4) the school's plan for housing programs, students, personnel, and services, (5) an analysis of capital outlay finances, and (6) recommendations for educational plants at various campus sites. (GLR)

This report presents findings from a plant survey of the Florida Health Sciences Center at the University of South Florida conducted in April, 1993. It contains recommendations for the educational plants of the university for the period from April, 1993, through June, 1998. The statistics presented are intended to assist the university with the preparation of building programs submitted for review to the Board of Regents and the Office of the Governor. The report contains eight sections. The first section presents an introduction to the educational plant survey that covers the statutory foundations for the survey, the procedural policies, and the cooperative process. The second section presents an overview of the university, its historical perspective and statement of purpose. The remaining six sections contain tables that present data on: (1) the student population, (2) the academic programs and degrees offered by the university, (3) the existing inventory of sites and buildings, (4) the school's plan for housing programs, students, personnel, and services, (5) an analysis of capital outlay finances, and (6) recommendations for educational plants at various campus sites. (GLR)

The Assessment Development Laboratory for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is developing a certification process with the three components of school site documentation, a content knowledge examination, and assessment center exercises. Activities involved in the development of the exercises and their scoring are described. The assessment center method is a process that includes: (1) standardized assessments based on multiple scores of candidate evidence; (2) multiple trained assessors; (3) judgments about evidence based, in part, on simulation exercises; and (4) judgments pooled by assessors or by statistical integration. A major consideration in developing the exercises was the representation of the exercises to teaching. Six dimensions of teacher tasks were identified, and each exercise was designed to elicit evidence on at least three dimensions. Exercises were also designed to elicit pedagogical reasoning and action. Resource needs for assessment administration were a further consideration. Four exercises are currently being developed, centering on cooperative group discussion, instructional analysis, planning instruction, and evaluating student learning. Small pilot tests (smoke tests) have been administered in the development process. A detailed analysis of each exercise illustrates the development process. (SLD)

This report examines the process used to evaluate five early childhood teacher education programs in Sweden, a process involving decentralized self-studies and site visits of approximately 5 hours in length conducted by an international expert. The report first provides background information on Helen L. Carlson, of the University of Minnesota, Duluth, who served as the external evaluator; and then explains the process of reviewing the self-study materials and the purpose and process of international review. The next section describes the site visits conducted at the early childhood teacher education programs at Malmo, Halmstead, Vaxjo, Karlstad, and Gothenburg during August 20-30, 1991. Contact was made with students, faculty, and administrators, though not all groups were available at every site. Next, the major tenets of the "Standards" and "Collegial" models of evaluation are explained. The next section reviews the Swedish self-studies from the perspective of the U.S. models, including comparisons of teacher education in the two countries. Next, examples are provided of the ways that the evaluation process itself effected change in the teacher education programs, and issues raised through the evaluation are highlighted. Two major questions concerning the meaning of teacher education becoming part of the university in Sweden and clarification of the purposes of evaluation in Sweden are raised, and recommendations for answering the questions conclude the report. (AC)

This report describes the first year activities of the Project on the Implementation of General Education. The research examines how general education programs are actually developed and implemented on college campuses that have limited resources, specifically focusing on comprehensive doctorate-granting institutions in New England. It is noted that when a change process is initiated, usually at the insistence of an administrator, it takes an average of over 3 years to complete. Several variables are described that appear to contribute to the successful design and implementation of general education curricula on college campuses. They include the need to obtain initial agreement about the reasons for change early in the design process and the critical role that faculty development activities and extrinsic rewards for involvement play long after the changes are implemented. Results from two case studies and site visits are discussed. These studies show that in each of the situations examined, the success of the process depended upon the ability of campus leaders to acknowledge the tensions in the process and to develop mechanisms that could mediate the differences that arose. Contains eight references. (GLR)