Visits to six school districts which were identified by the National Science Teachers Association's Search for Excellence program were made during 1983 by teams of 17 researchers. Their reports were analyzed in search for common characteristics that can explain the requirements necessary for excellent science programs. These characteristics are…

This study assessed the perceptions of faculty employed by the historically black institutions of the University of North Carolina, concerning the personal utility of activities to increase their educational research participation or to gain educational research skills and knowledge. The study was part of a pilot project to develop strategies to…

Described are the rationale, methodology, and findings of seven case studies designed to investigate the teaching and learning strategies employed in science classes by exemplary teachers. Findings focused on management strategies, student understanding, student participation, and classroom environment. (CW)

Both quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods were used to compare perceptions of teacher participants and non-participants in a Title II science update inservice program. The purpose of this article is to compare participants' and selected non-participants' perceptions of their motivations to learn using two evaluation methods. Qualitative…

Across the nation, more than 2.2 million children attend 2,750 rural school districts that suffer from chronic, severe poverty. The National Rural Small Schools Task Force oversees nine regional educational laboratories as they identify and develop promising educational practices for rural, small schools. One laboratory developed a data base…

Describes the research objectives, rationale, methodology, and findings of a model program developed at the Northwestern University Library, which examined whether online catalogs require instruction and, if so, how that instruction would be best delivered. (CLB)

Three case studies show innovative education programs that provide quality basic education with equity. After explaining the significance of educational innovation of democracy in Latin America and the constraints to educational development, the investigation of the three programs follows. The program of Fe y Alegria (Faith and Joy) in 12…

This second volume of a six-volume study updates and concludes the description of the historical development of a school district code-named "Milford," presented in volume I. Board minutes remain the primary source of data with increasing amounts of information from public documents, interviews, and observation of meetings. Following a brief…

A design for improving the quality of information available for continuous operational study of student retention at the University of Hartford in Connecticut was examined involving a microcomputer based decision support system for student retention research. The system, an interactive modeling approach to conduct longitudinal and comparative…

Describes an evaluation plan and preliminary results for the ATS-6 satellite interactive telecommunication program for teaching basic science and clinical diagnosis at sites remote from an established medical school (University of Washington). This study assesses the technical feasibility, interaction characteristics of the education programs, and…

The Renewed Primary School project in Belgium is analyzed in this paper in terms of organizational response to a large-scale innovation, which is characterized by its multidimensionality, by the large number of participating schools, and by a complex support structure. Section 2 of the report presents an elaborated description of these…

In a response to lower test scores in science and mathematics in Australia, the Western Australian Institute of Technology conducted a study to identify high quality science and mathematics teachers in Western Australian schools. This paper describes the teaching practices of one male and one female teacher of biology from two different schools.…

The general meaning of research data drawn from study of school improvement programs creates the opportunity for sound theory building. By emphasizing the principal's role in policy development, this paper analyzes the characteristics of large-scale educational innovation projects and their explanatory foundations. Belgium's comprehensive Renewed…

The purpose of this study is to elaborate the issue of exemplary teaching in chemistry in the context of a centralized educational system, in which chemistry curriculum development and implementation are also centrally controlled. Students' perceptions of the learning environment were also investigated. (KR)

This paper describes the practical steps employed in controlling interview data generated from a research project investigating teachers' perspectives on the worth of a sex equity educational demonstration project. These perspectives were then considered as value frameworks that might be used to formulate and interpret a naturalistic-responsive…