INFORMATIZATION AND COMPUTERIZATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB

Although computerization was included in the midterm development programme of the University of Zagreb for the 1986‐1990 period, the results obtained by the end of this period had not proved completely satisfactory. Consequently, in mid‐1990, the Rector appointed a Working Group for the Advancement of Computerization. It has developed a comprehensive plan for the creation of a sophisticated and comprehensive informatics network including all the various types of components needed to generalize computing and informatics at all levels and for all purposes throughout the University. It is also planning for the integration of this system into the various Yugoslav and international computer networks. So that all students will be computer‐literate, an element of computer science will be integrated into all course programmes.     

LINKING STRATEGIC GOALS TO THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE BUDGET

Five years ago, Parkland College was faced with a challenge: how to link its strategic goals to the budget development and budget reallocation through an open, participatory, consensus‐based planning process. The strategic goals were developed collaboratively by community leaders, faculty, and staff using environmental scanning of key data and institutional performance indicators. After the strategic plan was approved by the college senate and the board of trustees, it was used to develop college and unit operational plans, which drive budgetary priorities and initiatives. In the last 6 years, the college has seen a decrease in the number of administrative positions, an increase in full‐time faculty teaching positions, an increase in the number of credit hours taught by full‐time faculty, an increase in instructional equipment purchases, and completion of a campus computer network integrating data communications, e‐mail, and Internet access. Instructional technology, methods and delivery of instruction, classroom assessment, and institutional effectiveness have become top college priorities. The process has earned the enthusiastic endorsement and respect of the faculty, staff, administration, and the board of trustees. The process also has built trust and cooperation and has facilitated the development of shared governance. This article discusses the impact and lessons learned from implementing such a process.     

论艾德礼政府的"内阁使团方案"

1946年5月16日，艾德礼政府公布了解决印度问题的“内阁使团方案”。方案设计了一个中央权力比较微弱而各省享有较大自治权的联邦体制，希望既能维护印度的统一，又能满足穆斯林的自治要求。国大党和穆斯林联盟虽然对方案没有满足自己的意愿而表示不满，但是都先后通过决议，部分地接受方案，以共同制定新的印度宪法。无论印度还是英国和美国的政治领袖都认为这是当时情况下英国政府能提出的最好方案。正确地认识这一方案的性质是非常重要的，因为它直接影响到人们对艾德礼政府的对印政策的评价。     

School‐based ICT policy plans in primary education: Elements,typologies and underlying processes

Schools are more and more encouraged to write a school‐based information and communication technology (ICT) policy plan. In such a plan, a school describes its expectations, goals, content and actions related to the future role of ICT in teaching and learning. Although this is encouraged by researchers and policy makers, the literature on ICT policy plans and ICT policy planning is rather general and underdeveloped. In this study, the content of school‐based ICT policy plans and underlying policy processes is explored. Data were gathered in 31 primary schools in Flanders: the schools' ICT policy plan was submitted to a content analysis, and a semi‐structured interview was administered to the school leader or the ICT coordinator. Using a framework of ICT leadership practices to guide the analysis (setting direction, developing people and making the organization work), we identified three types of ICT policy plans: (1) an ICT policy plan as a vision blueprint, (2) a technical inventory and (3) a comprehensive ICT policy plan. Although the last type takes into account all ICT leadership practices, we found a variety of different approaches in the processes used to create and execute such plans, such as the support of ICT training activities, data‐driven decision‐making processes and monitoring activities.     

高校体育改革与全民健身计划的几点思考

本文在阐述高校体育改革要树立终身体育思想，并应与全民健身计划接轨的基础上，提出了高校实施全民健身计划以及与之接轨而进行改革的基本思路     

MAKING STUDENT RETENTION AN INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITY

A study was conducted to determine the reasons behind the unusually high rate of student attrition at Mountain Empire Community College. The results, which suggested that work and family conflicts were the primary contributors to attrition, led to the formation of a task force that was charged with the development of a comprehensive student retention plan. A college‐wide retreat involving all faculty, staff, and administrators was conducted to inform all constituents about the college's retention effort and to involve the entire college community in working together to understand how to implement effective retention strategies. Finally, a standing retention committee was formed at the college to oversee implementation of the retention plan, a plan which is research‐based and reflective of the long‐term commitment the institution has made to the improvement of the student persistence rate.     

Promoting teachers’ implementation of culturally and contextually relevant class‐wide behavior plans

Disproportionality in disciplinary actions for certain racial groups has been well documented for several decades. In an effort to support all students, specifically those who are culturally and linguistically diverse, many have called for adopting a multitiered system of support framework that is considerate of student culture and school context. This framework applies to supporting students’ learning and behavior across settings, particularly in the classroom. To bridge existing gaps between theory and practice, this empirical study sought to evaluate whether teachers who self‐assessed their own use of culturally and contextually relevant practices would implement a class‐wide behavior plan with high levels of implementation fidelity. Results indicated that teachers who engaged in self‐assessment and training did implement the plan with high levels of implementation fidelity, particularly when given performance feedback. Additionally, students tended to display slightly higher rates of academic engagement upon consistent implementation of the plan.     

西部大开发与小城镇建设的法律思考

现代社会和市场经济发展的重点在城镇，加快小城镇建设是西部大开发的既定目标，西部地区小城镇建设目标必须与国家城镇化战略目标相适应，必与国家整个农业和农村改革部署相一致。为此就要依法制定科学而合理的小城镇发展规划，完善小城镇多元投资体制和全理征用土地机制，做好保护历史文化名城和地下历史文化物的工作，加快城镇户籍管理机制的改革，加强小城镇居民的社会保障。     

A Multipart Project Planning and Tracking Exercise

Project Management is an important skill for business students to develop. Although project‐oriented activity is very common, the success rate for projects is poor. Many projects fail due to poor planning. This article describes a multipart class exercise used to teach elements of a project management methodology to undergraduate and graduate business students. Over the course of the eight‐part exercise, student teams iteratively develop a project plan and Gantt chart, an initial and detailed project charter, a variance analysis model, and a status report. Students are taught an iterative top‐down planning process using a technique we term the ODW (Objectives–Deliverables–Workplan) model. Students are introduced to Microsoft Project and use the tool to develop a project plan that becomes part of a more detailed Project Charter. In the final stages of the exercise, students collect results, update their plan, and produce a project status report.     

北京市残疾儿童、少年随班就读调查报告

大力开展残疾儿童少年随班就读是普及残疾儿童义务教育的需要。它既符合国情，是发展残疾儿童少年义务教育的主要形式，也符合国际上残疾儿童少年教育发展的大趋势。“七五”中期至“八五”期间，北京市在开展盲、低视力、聋和重听以及轻度弱智儿童随班就读方面进行了较为广泛的实验。这次对随班就读工作的全面调查和分析，为贯彻北京市特殊教育“九五”发展规划中提出的“巩固、发展、完善、提高”一方针，使北京市残疾儿童随班就读工作发展到一个新的水平，提供借鉴和参考。     

Manufacturing Squares: An Integrative Statistical Process Control Exercise

In the exercise, students in a junior‐level operations management class are asked to manufacture a simple product. Given product specifications, they must design a production process, create roles and design jobs for each team member, and develop a statistical process control plan that efficiently and effectively controls quality during production. During an in‐class exercise, students test their plan in a pilot study. After class, they are asked to determine whether their process is stable and capable, critique their plans, and recommend plan modifications before they commence mass production. This exercise provides students with a unique opportunity to combine several fundamental topics from an operations management course into one assignment. Furthermore, assessment of learning outcomes before and after the exercise suggests that it improves learning outcomes in several areas.     

LIFELONG LEARNING IN NIAGARA: IDENTIFYING THE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF A RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

The impact of increasing numbers of retirement communities throughout North America, and specifically the Canadian province of Ontario, has led to the examination of the educational needs of this community‐based, age‐segregated population. A needs assessment of retirees residents in Heritage Village, a retirement community located in the Niagara region of Ontario, was conducted to explore the specific educational interests of this particular population. In addition, the most suitable educational approaches, environments, and learning mediums of residents were examined. Five focus groups, each having approximately 6 participants, were conducted with residents. Groups were organized according to maturity (young or old), residential history (within or out of region), and marital status (married or single/windowed). Most participants were found to be interested in education for leisure and personal development, the latter specifically around health maintenance and quality of life. The educational approaches that were most comfortable with participants centered around adult learning theory. Because transportation was a problem for some participants, on‐site learning in the Heritage Village clubhouse was suggested by many. Experiential learning within a social environment, such as a field trip, was a popular medium discussed, whereas computer learning was seen as less attractive. What is clear is that residents understand their learning needs and delivery systems within the context of the larger retirement community with which they identify through affiliation. Strategies to appropriately plan and implement older adult educational programs specific to an elderly population living in a retirement community are discussed.     

Making it Happen: a personal account of a teacher education aid project in the Solomon Islands

Secondary teacher education in the Solomon Islands has been non‐existent since an early attempt was abandoned a decade ago. An international aid project now has attempted to implement a carefully wrought plan. This article outlines the plan, describes what actually happened when the plan was implemented, and proposes some principles which might be useful in guiding the efforts of future project managers charged with the responsibility of making things happen in a culture other than their own.     

Peer tutoring in writing: a school systems approach

In this study seven 10‐year‐old to 11‐year‐old students peer‐tutored seven six‐year‐old students in writing over a 10‐week period. Tutoring took place over 20‐minute sessions four times per week in the six‐year‐old students' regular classes during their usual writing time. The first author trained the tutors to assist tutees to (1) produce a writing plan, (2) use the plan to develop a piece of writing with help from the tutor, (3) proof‐read writing samples for meaning and accuracy, and (4) prompt tutees to make editing changes to their writing by asking appropriate questions. Samples of the writing of tutors and tutees were compared at baseline, intervention and follow‐up phases and the attitudes of participants towards the programme were evaluated. Unlike most peer tutoring programmes the study relied largely on intrinsic motivation for student participation, and utilised a procedure that required responsive feedback by tutors and a problem‐solving approach rather than a constrained linear methodology. Results indicated gains in terms of writing rate, accuracy, and audience ratings of clarity of message and enjoyment of writing, for tutors and tutees. Issues of programme maintenance and generalisation within the school system are discussed in addition to the implications for inclusive educational practice.     

Invitation to transcendence: The book of revelation

The author of Revelation, acting as a rhetorical change‐agent, created an experience of transcendence for his readers during the course of the book by discerning in history a divine plan and showing the proper place of his readers in that plan. His invitation to experience transcendence strategically compensated for an apparent gap in the early Christian worldview.     

An Evaluation of an Ongoing Consultation Model to Train Teachers to Treat Challenging Behaviour

A primary school student with severe intellectual disabilities was referred to the Intellectual Disability Research and Training Unit at University College Dublin by his teacher. He was described as exhibiting high levels self‐injury and aggression. An in‐depth functional assessment identified the operant function of these behaviours. This information allowed for the development of an extensive behaviour support plan. The classroom teacher was then trained to implement the support plan and received ongoing consultation from a psychologist regarding her adherence to the behavioural techniques. The intervention resulted in significant decreases in challenging behaviour. Teaching staff were positive about the intervention results and the consultation model used.     

Why some early college high school students do not transition to a 4‐year college: An exploration of perceived barriers and schooling experiences on students’ transition plans

This study examined why some seniors attending Early College High Schools did not plan to continue their education at a 4‐year college immediately after graduation despite attending schools designed to provide coordinated academic and social supports with the expectation that all students would continue their education. Most students in our study (75%) did plan to continue their education at a 4‐year college immediately after graduation. For the remaining students, we used cluster analysis to identify four distinct groups of noncollege bound students. These groups were evaluated based on background characteristics, perceived opportunities and barriers, and schooling experiences. Results indicate that noncollege bound students are diverse in their reasons for not continuing their education at a 4‐year program and that any reform efforts designed to personalize opportunities and supports for these students must take into account how combinations of perceived opportunities and barriers shape their postsecondary decisions.     

Development and Pilot Testing of a Food Safety Curriculum for Managers and Staff of Residential Childcare Institutions (RCCIs)

Food safety training materials, targeted for residential childcare institution (RCCI) staff of facilities of 20 residents or less, were developed, piloted, and evaluated. The goal was to assist in the implementation of a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP)‐based food safety plan as required by Food and Nutrition Service/United States Department of Agriculture. RCCI staff and instructor training manuals, Food Safety Basics: Food Safety Education for RCCIs was developed and pilot tested in RCCIs in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The program was evaluated by participants and pre‐/posttraining onsite inspector and microbial assessments. The core curriculum contained 3 modules and corresponding activities: Module 1: cause, prevention, and strategies to reduce foodborne illness; Module 2: components of a HACCP‐based food safety plan and standard operating procedures; and Module 3: actual food safety plan development, including instructions for implementation and corresponding monitoring procedures required. There were 50 to 82 RCCI staff members that attended 2 or 3 modules. Participants rated the modules 4.5 ± 0.4, 4.3 ± 0.4, and 4.4 ± 0.4 out of 5‐point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) for teaching modules 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The evaluations assessed their understanding of key topic areas taught. Onsite inspections showed improvement in many critical food safety issues. Some deficiencies still appeared to be problematic, such as refrigerator temperature monitoring and issues with storage and cross‐contamination.     

Implementing Performance Indicators of early learning and teaching: A Chinese study

This study investigated how a set of newly developed indicators of early learning and teaching by the government, which was based on western ideology of child learning, was implemented in a Chinese context like Hong Kong. Twelve early childhood settings of 5747 children and 284 staff volunteered to implement the indicators within two years and the processes were observed and analysed. A multi‐method, multi‐source data collection strategy was used to document the self‐evaluation and improvement process. All the participating settings went through the five stages of the evaluation cycle: understanding the Performance Indicators, assessing learning and teaching, formulating an action plan for improvement, implementing the action plan, and reflection. The results indicated that: (1) implementing a quality assurance cycle took time, resources and commitment; (2) the implementation helped to enhance practitioners’ professionalism; and (3) teacher professionalism was the key to the success of this quality assurance mechanism. The socio‐contextual factors and the educational implications of these findings are discussed.     

THE POSSIBILITY OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN AN INSTRUMENTALIST AGE

In our increasingly instrumentalist culture, debates over the privatization of schooling may be beside the point. Whether we hatch some new plan for chartering or funding schools, or retain the traditional model of government‐run schools, the ongoing instrumentalization of education threatens the very possibility of public education. Indeed, in the culture of performativity, not only the public school but public life itself is hollowed out and debased. Qualities are recast as quantities, judgments replaced by rubrics, teaching and learning turned into exchange values. Schools should be central to public life: key locations for the regeneration of values, the cultivation of judgment, and the creation of the conditions for positive freedom. In this article Chris Higgins, drawing on Hannah Arendt and Alasdair MacIntyre, goes beyond typical treatments of the schools as equalizer of individual opportunity to explore three aspects of educational publicity: the school as an object of communal concern, schooling as preparation for public life, and the classroom as public space.