The Maine studies program at a rural Maine middle school begins in the sixth grade and expands through the eighth grade. Students camp out, explore Maine's geography, and learn about themselves, their state's history, and the state's diverse populations. Two multischool programs, Exchanging Maine's Cultures and the Curriculum Integration…

In this interview, a high school art teacher explains why her initial enthusiasm for block scheduling evaporated. Problems arose with foreign-language instruction, science labs, lesson planning, field trips, space utilization, supplies, and overenrollment in elective subjects like music and art. Teachers had little control or administrative…

Supervision based on collaboration, participative decision making, and reflective practice is the hallmark of a viable school improvement program that is designed to promote teaching and learning. Action research has gradually emerged as an important form of instructional supervision to engage teachers in reflective practice about their teaching…

This planning and development guide suggests that careful, comprehensive, long range planning combined with gradual program implementation and effective administrative leadership can create responsive middle school programs. Sample sequential objective charts and activity lists are included. (DCS)

Divides curriculum development into 10 steps to aid administrators at the local level in planning for whole systems or for single courses. (JW)

A study identified several problems encountered by nine Newfoundland schools while converting to a team leadership model: time restraints, school management concerns, limited perceptions of leadership, district interference, personnel changes, apathy, dysfunctional politics, goal-setting difficulties, reduced professional-development…

Based on his successful experience with the NASSP assessment center process in personnel selection and career development, a Maryland curriculum superintendent suggests that assessment center process and results need to be integrated into schools' promotional policies, their training and appraisal procedures, their human resource planning, and…

Membership in the worldwide community means that students must possess globally competitive skills. In 1993, the author and the Colorado General Assembly worked to pass a comprehensive educational reform strategy that established "model" content standards in mathematics, science, geography, history, reading, and writing. Uniform…

The full-service school integrates educational, medical, and social services for children and families on school grounds or in accessible locations. A survey found that onsite clinics are not always integrated with education and that teachers are frequently excluded from clinic teams. Implications and implementation barriers are discussed.…

Since the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act became law, advocacy groups, educators, and the courts have struggled to define "least restrictive environment." Viewpoints have ranged from stressing total inclusion to combining special/regular education resources to benefit all students and providing a full continuum of services in…

A Missouri study involving performance-based teacher evaluation demonstrated that school personnel and university faculty members can collaborate to prepare beginning teachers to be more effective at designing and implementing teaching models. The keys to success are a shared professional knowledge base and common commitment to implementation…

Discusses three timely Individuals with Disability Act issues confronting school personnel: implications of complex health services related to the Supreme Court "Garret F" ruling; use of functional assessment as mandated by IDEA 1997 discipline amendments; and handling of Section 504 issues related to Asperger Syndrome. (Contains 16…