Class-size reduction (CSR) has been a complex and contentious issue for the last quarter century. Although the small-class concept was adopted because it appealed to common sense, research over time has revealed a mix of confounding variables, instead of a definitive conclusion. Some CSR efforts, such as Tennessee's Project STAR and Wisconsin's…

The belief that adoption of, adherence to, and use of family support principles is associated with better parent, family, and child outcomes has for the most part gone untested but not unchallenged. This monograph investigates the relationship between practitioner adherence to family support principles and parent, family, and child behavior and…

Describes strategies for using cultural awareness programs in the schools. Reviews society's perspective on intercultural appreciation, presents a rationale for intervention strategies, and describes four strategies to improve intercultural awareness including student questionnaires, group discussions of culture, a true-false cultural awareness…

This article introduces some of the background and concepts of technical assistance, provides some guidelines for planning and implementing a technical assistance program, and presents one successful approach for technical assistance which is adaptable to other settings. (CJ)

Research shows that hands-on science education is more effective than a textbook and lecture approach. This suggests that the "new curriculum" introduced in science classes in the seventies was more effective than was thought. (JM)

Argues that providing leadership and opportunities for staff members to become more effective in their jobs are the primary responsibilities of a school principal. Offers a number of suggestions for use in staff development. (FL)

A peer training model in which teachers are trained to plan and provide inservice education is suggested as one approach to meeting the needs of teachers working with exceptional students. Project TEDDIE (Training Educators to Design, Develop, and Deliver Inservice Education) involved teams of special and vocational educators in Kansas. (CL)

Nine recommended guidelines for teacher performance appraisal are offered as a basis for evaluating an appraisal system. Guidelines, involving a reward system, evaluation training, teacher involvement, classroom improvement, peer observation, alternative-data collection, paperwork, and supervisors, emphasize the positive qualities of teacher…

Discusses open entrance/open exit programs designed to prevent attirtion in adult reading programs for students who have not completed high school. Offers suggestions for encouraging success within such programs. (FL)

The program was developed to minimize classroom disruptions which often occur when a behavior problem student (9 to 13 years old) from a special education homeroom is placed in the mainstream. The program also was designed to encourage on task performance and work completion both in the homeroom and mainstream settings through reinforcement for…

Components of an effective inservice plan are pointed out and models for behavior management inservice to deal with behavior problems are described. (SBH)

Discusses the selection and training of student tutors for college reading programs, the supervision of tutors, and studies of the effectiveness of college-level peer tutoring programs. (GT)

Provides seven recommendations for an effective secondary reading program that will treat reading as a body of skills taught in all subject areas. (MKM)

The activity-based costing (ABC) method of analyzing institutional costs in higher education involves four procedures: determining the various discrete activities of the organization; calculating the cost of each; determining the cost drivers; tracing cost to the cost objective or consumer of each activity. Few American institutions have used the…

Five veteran college alumni directors share strategies for creating an effective association: deciding what program aspects must be measured; assessing the program realistically; listening to customers; stretching program resources to hold down cost and work more efficiently; and remembering the value of the human touch in program design and…