Describes a college geometry course centered around challenging, open-ended problems that invite students to draw upon their experiences and share their understandings. Includes discussion of sample problems; writing assignments; classroom dialog; student comments and insights about geometry, mathematics, and themselves and mathematics; and…

Describes Canada's efforts in sustainable forestry, which refers to management practices that ensure long-term health of forest ecosystems so that they can continue to provide environmental, social, and economic benefits. Describes model forests, community forests, and demonstration forests and lists contacts for each of the projects. (KS)

Discusses a workshop to provide an opportunity for north Louisiana teachers to learn firsthand about Louisiana's coastal wetlands. The multidisciplinary sessions focused on coastal wetland ecosystems, covering wetland productivity, the functions and value of wetlands, current wetland issues, water quality, botany, geology, fisheries management,…

Discusses two Australian projects designed to encourage hands-on science: Family Science Project and the Education and Outreach Programmes from the National Science and Technology Center. (MKR)

Describes exemplary travel, tourism, and hospitality programs at several secondary and postsecondary schools. Includes a description of a program specifically for special needs students. (JOW)

Describes and evaluates a 3-year, 6-district (2 urban, 2 suburban, and 2 rural) Effective Schools Process demonstration project in Ohio. (PKP)

The tech prep program at Danville Area Community College in Illinois is a partnership between the school and area industry that is a model for how business and education can collaborate. (JOW)

Medical errors and patient safety have gained increasing attention throughout all areas of medical care. Understanding patient safety in rural settings is crucial for improving care in rural communities. To describe a system to decrease medical errors and improve care in rural and frontier primary care offices. Applied Strategies for Improving…

The Brillion School District is located in Brillion, Wisconsin, approximately 20 miles south of Green Bay in the heart of the Fox Valley. Brillion High School (BHS) has approximately 330 students in Grades 9-12. Brillion is home to approximately 3000 residents. Interestingly, Brillion also serves as the headquarters of three major manufacturing…

A video mock-up is a "design story", described by Patrick Parrish in a recent "TechTrends" article as "imagining the journey of a learner's experience in engaging with a finished design". A design story allows designers to show their design vision to others and to observe features and benefits of the program as a learner would experience it. The…

This paper describes a quantitative assessment project, its findings, and its impact. College mathematics faculty developed an item bank of problems covering material from undergraduate mathematics courses and basic statistics. Instructors use this item bank to develop a questionnaire involving the specific quantitative skills their students need…

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is using a novel assessment process to find whether rising juniors have the quantitative skills needed for success in their chosen upper-division courses. Sampling from departments across the campus, information is gathered about quantitative skills used in specific courses and the extent to which students can…

This paper describes a special academic environment in the Morris College (South Carolina) Division of General Studies to promote the success of entering freshmen in mastering course offerings in general education, as well as provide an Honors Program for students with superior academic ability, motivation, and background. The division attempts to…

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Statewide Systemic Initiatives (SSI) Program is a major effort by NSF to encourage improvements in science, mathematics, and engineering education through comprehensive systemic changes in the educational systems of the states. The SSI Program represents a strategy to strengthen the infrastructure for…

This booklet presents summary information on 44 programs in Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania nominated as demonstrating unique or exemplary practices in special education. Citations include program name, brief description, information on the target population, process for evaluation or analysis and renewal, adoption requirements, funding…