Pennsylvania School Improvement Program. Linkage Case Study. Intermediate Unit A / J. Jackson Barnette.

The Pennsylvania School Improvement Program (PSIP) was created to assist local schools and school districts in the development of curriculum improvement strategies. The process involves the use of "linkers," curriculum specialists who work with teams from the local level to ascertain needs, then connect the local teams with the research and development agencies that can provide information and resources to help meet those needs. One early attempt to make PSIP work to improve the reading and language arts program in a northwestern Pennsylvania middle school lasted 14 months and was subsequently abandoned. In this instance, the School Assistance Team (SAT), composed of representatives of several research and development agencies as well as of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, was unable to communicate adequately with the Local Action Team (LAT) of language arts teachers, despite the presence of a primary linker who had been a teacher and board member in the district. The LAT lacked leadership and unity. The roles of the participants were not adequately clarified and false expectations were raised on both sides. Changes in the project due to revisions in PSIP as a whole also disrupted the project's progress. This document concentrates particularly on the effectiveness of the linker concept. (Author/PGD)

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