Discusses the need for improved teacher training in the use of technology and considers the role of school media specialists. Topics include providing focused workshops on technology integration; promoting peer mentoring; partnerships with universities; using online staff development resources; and promoting technology in curriculum development…

This paper presents principles for inclusion of students with disabilities in regular education classrooms, organized around the following aspects: inclusion versus mainstreaming, service delivery, planning and curriculum development, best practices, and training. Among the principles discussed are: students are members of age-appropriate general…

This book explores how three ideas, results-driven education, systems thinking, and constructivism, are shaping a new direction in staff development in schools. Results-driven education judges the success of schooling by what students actually know and what they can do as a result of their time in school. Systems thinking is a framework for seeing…

Some of the reasons efforts are being made to reform education are discussed, and how these reforms are likely to affect U.S. schools is explored. Data collected annually by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) indicate that almost all states have some form of assessment that is administered to all students at one or more grade…

This ERIC digest discusses meeting the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered school youth, i.e., supporting their ability to learn while maintaining an environment for them that is free from physical and psychological abuse. It describes the various policy initiatives protecting the rights of lesbian and gay students and indicates…

The Urban Education Project developed by Research for Better Schools, Inc., has focused on meeting the needs of urban students in a changing and demanding society. In the second contract year of a 5-year contract, the project developed the Urban Education Restructuring Framework by categorizing relevant literature and school-oriented experiences…

Career Awareness Resources for Exceptional Students (Project CARES) is an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII-funded project in its fourth year in 1993-94. The project served 65 Spanish-speaking students (ages 14-21) of limited English proficiency in two schools in the Bronx, New York. Participating students received instruction in…

This text presents an approach to the teaching of students with learning disabilities which places teachers in the development phase of instruction rather than serving as implementors of "canned" curriculum. The thematic approach presented allows the current curriculum of any school or school system to be adapted to the needs of students. It…

The original Foxfire program evolved into the Foxfire Teacher Outreach program during the 1980s, providing an approach to classroom instruction applicable to all content areas and grade levels. It is a student-centered, hands on, community-based generally for 2 weeks in the summer. Teacher networks are test-driven). The Foxfire Course for Teachers…

At Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) in New York, over 90% of the students are ethnic minorities, and two-thirds are women. Among BMCC freshmen, 70% require some form of remediation. Faculty development efforts at the college emphasize the issues of serving an ethnically diverse student population and of reinforcing the basic skills of…

This paper describes a rural Hispanic community's efforts to identify and develop a program for gifted students in grades 2-6 who are also mildly to moderately handicapped (learning disabled, behavior disordered, or communication disordered). The "Twice Exceptional" (2E) program, in Los Lunas, New Mexico, is a modified full-time separate…

This digest discusses the issues involved in implementing middle school foreign language programs. A number of implementation and instructional issues are highlighted, including: scheduling, staffing, teacher recruitment, teacher certification, staff development, curriculum development, teaching methods, and instructional materials. (VWL)

The financial health of the education system of most states is not good; those seeking to improve educational quality will have to find inexpensive methods. Areas of the American educational system in which quality standards are not being met include time spent in learning, curriculum content, appropriate use of new technology, and personnel.…

When all three high schools of the Maine Township High School District in Des Plaines (Illinois) were recognized as outcome accredited by the North Central Association in 1989, the district became the first multi-building district in Illinois to complete the first phase of the Outcome Accreditation/Evaluation Program. The program to integrate…

This guide addresses the personnel, curriculum, equipment, inservice, interagency cooperation, and evaluation that are appropriate for low-cost and no-cost activities designed to help Missouri special needs students make the transition from school to work. Following an overview and a short glossary, the bulk of the document is in a…