Issues related to college access and the need for a pipeline of STEM teachers, provided the impetus for the Ohio Board of Regents (OBR) to issue a call for Ohio universities to design pre-college experiences for high school students with three major goals in mind: (a) improvement in mathematics, science, or foreign language learning; (b) increased…

This is the fourth in a series of eight newsletters highlighting best practices presented at the 2009 HSTW Staff Development Conference in Atlanta. These newsletters contain information about successful actions schools across the nation are taking to join hands-on and heads-on learning in ways that increase student motivation and achievement. This…

Community gardening provides many benefits for students like outdoor physical activity, an understanding of plant life cycles, food production and healthy eating (Blair, 2009; Whiren, 1995). Gardening also provides hands-on learning opportunities to draw parallels between what is needed for plants to grow and what students need to be healthy. When…

This study explored rural middle-school students' participation in an online summer reading course. The research question explored the patterns and practices of the student's participation in an online reading course and the instructional moves made by the teacher. Data were gathered from a small group (n = 4) of rural middle school students…

Describes the successes and challenges of David King. King's long-standing service to children in Ohio and West Virginia through Camp Horseshoe is presented. (EV)

Summer is a time for teachers to recharge their pedagogical batteries. Here, three veteran English teachers write about professional development programs that energized them and their teaching.

High school students from throughout Ohio spend one week on the Ohio State University campus for academic, cultural, and social activities. The project is a model for providing differential experiences for gifted secondary students under the auspices of a State Department, University, local school districts, and business community. (Author)

One hundred children attending a summer soccer camp in NE Ohio provided written data on what they most enjoyed about the camp. Findings indicated that, overall, they ranked "soccer games and skills" and "camp related activities" as the two leading major categories. In terms of gender group analysis (females = 49; males = 51)…

Students from three schools responded very enthusiastically to community design projects. Participants in a summer course on design education created interdisciplinary projects that were taught to their K-12 students during the following academic year. This article highlights three of the many successful projects, offering suggestions for other…

This article examines in detail the Ohio WINS (Writing Institute Network for Success), a program whose goal is to provide continuing education for teachers. The aim of the program is to use up-to-date research to help teachers improve students' critical thinking and to better prepare them for both the rigorous Ohio Graduation Tests (OGTs) and…

"The Electric Company" ("TEC") television show won the hearts of children because it made learning fun. Thirty years later, the iconic show has returned with the goal of not only teaching literacy, but also numeracy (the ability to work with and understand numbers) and mathematics vocabulary in a fun, entertaining, and engaging…

THIS REPORT LISTS ABOUT 1,050 EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS AND SERVICES ACCORDING TO THE COUNTIES IN WHICH THE PROJECTS TOOK PLACE. THE LIST INDICATES THE (1) DESCRIPTIVE TITLE OF THE PROJECT, (2) SCHOOL DISTRICT, (3) GRADE LEVELS INVOLVED, AND (4) TIME OF THE PROJECT (REGULAR SCHOOL YEAR, SUMMER SCHOOL, OR BOTH). (LB)

This article discusses the value of archaeological study and experiences for gifted students. It briefly describes a summer camp program and archaeology activities at the Ohio Governor's Institute for the Gifted and Talented. Guidelines are offered for fitting archaeology into the curriculum and/or enriching the curriculum with archaeology. (DB)

Based on a series of successful summer writing institutes, this book presents practical ways for teachers to reinvigorate their classrooms and their own attitudes toward creative writing. In four complementary sections focusing on four groups of writers--creative writers in residence, K-12 students and teachers who participated in the summer…