In peer-helping programs, a professional counselor or teacher trains a group of students who then help other students by listening, providing information, and referring them to others with the necessary expertise. Peer helpers can help improve the school climate by contributing to its health and security. Since 1979, Seattle's Natural Helpers…

The Interactive Mathematics Program is part of a National Science Foundation effort to design a comprehensive, standards-based high school mathematics curriculum. IMP's four-year program, which replaces the traditional sequence, involves little memorization, integrates traditional material with topics such as probability and statistics, and uses…

A new series of instructional television programs designed for fifth and sixth grades, will reinforce basic skills while helping students learn to solve real-world problems. (Author/MLF)

Designing projects around Gardner's multiple intelligences, a Connecticut school created a one-week summer camp where children can tap into their unique strengths. The Summer Stars program allows children ages 7-12 to choose materials and activities from many topics and to participate in one of three internships involving a discovery museum, a…

An action-research project examined how implementation of an inclusive rule, "You can't say you can't play," at a Syracuse, New York, elementary school influenced children's informal social relationships, focusing particularly on children with disabilities. Overall, the rule has helped create a rich discourse about inclusion issues,…

Critical thinking alone is reactive, in that it lacks the creative elements necessary for social progress. Accordingly, the author has developed the CoRT (Cognitive Research Trust) program to teach the two aspects of perception: breadth (developing a perceptual map) and change (using the map to discover solutions). (TE)

For the past four years, a multiage class in Maine has been involved in a pumpkin-growing and -marketing enterprise--a project involving real work and problem solving. Begun with a seed grant, the project raises money for field trips and nonessential teaching materials. Working cooperatively forges strong bonds among children, teachers, and…

The Applications in Biology/Chemistry (ABC) curriculum is a real-world approach designed for the middle 50% of secondary students who may not learn in a predominantly abstract way. Stressing contextual and cooperative learning, ABC features 10 laboratory exercises and other hands-on, problem-solving activities involving visits to job sites and…

In an innovative urban literacy program, K-3 students create a working community, complete with a store, newspaper, post office, museum, and economic system. Using TRALE (Technology-Rich Authentic Learning Environments), teachers create meaningful instruction through authentic, problem-based learning activities using educational technology when…

Groups of teachers and schools can bridge the theory-practice gap by using the Web-based Integrated Science Environment (WISE) project library. The WISE learning environment promotes lifelong learning along with language and technology literacy by making science accessible, thinking visible, and learning a cooperative experience. (Contains 16…

The nation's educational system mirrors the dynamics of our marketplace democracy, recasting parents as self-interested consumers. Jane Addams' philosophy of education (enhancing people's productive capacities to benefit the commonweal) has been revived in Public Achievement, a work-centered, civic-earning program in St.Paul, Minnesota, that helps…

By combining hands-on research and telecommunications, the National Geographic Society's Kids Network enables K-8 students to grapple with basic science and geography concepts, hone communication and research skills, and network with kids around the world. Students focus on real-world problems, work cooperatively, and share results in class…

Students attending a Minnesota school in a middle-class neighborhood are finding that cooperation, conflict resolution, and civic values are creating a safe haven from the stresses of family and neighborhood life. Students have two innovative programs (Continuous Progress and Discovery) to choose from. Highlands Elementary nurtures its students…