This publication reports findings from the second year of an implementation study of the Early Childhood Cluster Initiative (ECCI). ECCI is a prekindergarten program in ten elementary schools and a community child care center in Palm Beach County, based on the design of the High/Scope Perry Preschool model. The initiative is characterized by low…

The federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, project strives to equalize low-income students' access to higher education by increasing their participation in rigorous coursework, providing expanded opportunities for low-income students and parents to learn about postsecondary educational opportunities…

A product-based professional development model has significantly improved the ability and willingness of P-8 teachers to use and integrate technology into instruction. This paper discusses the impacts this staff professional development model. The model was used to train 18 teachers to effectively use and integrate technology in their ESL…

The Miami Valley Tech Prep Consortium, headquartered at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, engages a wide range of students in Tech Prep pathways that span high school and college. Students are offered a blend of technical and academic coursework, as well as extensive supports enhanced by a sophisticated professional development system.…

Workshops are currently one of the most popular ways for instructors in STEM fields to learn more about teaching and learning. Yet research shows we often do not know what participants gain from attending. This article suggests ways of measuring impact of instructional improvement workshops that will help not only workshop providers with designing…

In September 1998, the California State Legislature passed SB 2042, legislation that authorized the reform of teacher recruitment, certification, and licensing in the state. Its provisions are unique in that they represent the first time in California's history that almost all of the standards dealing with teacher preparation and induction were…

Many universities and colleges list the development of lifelong learning skills as a curriculum objective and have adopted laptop programs that may enable lifelong learning. The purpose of this research is to address the effectiveness of a technology-based and computer-mediated learning environment in achieving lifelong learning skills from the…

In this article, the author discusses five common strategies for making online high school programs effective in one's school district. These are: (1) Prepare students for success; (2) Prepare teachers for success; (3) Use interactive, flexible course designs; (4) Monitor and support teachers; and (5) Monitor and support students. Despite their…

Efforts to improve social studies at the elementary level have not fared well in recent years. Federal demands for greater emphasis on mathematics and reading instruction have had a direct impact on social studies instruction--eroding elementary teachers' time and energy for the subject. In spite of this changing context, many states still test…

Describing entries in the National Council of Instructional Administrators' (NCIA's) Annual Exemplary Instructional Program Awards for 1994-95, this volume presents descriptions of community college programs in the five categories in which they were submitted. The first section focuses on programs in the category of best use of technology for…

In spring 1991, a teacher exchange/mentor program was developed between Kansas' Johnson County Community College (JCCC) and the University of Kansas to attract young educators to community college teaching careers, give educators firsthand experience teaching at a community college while being mentored by a seasoned JCCC faculty member, and…

An evaluative study was done of Project THISTLE (Thinking Skills in Teaching and Learning), a program designed to improve the basic skills of urban college-bound high school students by working with their teachers in an integrated process of curriculum and staff development. In particular, the evaluation looked at the impact of the program on…

On-campus credit courses for the professional development of community college faculty have proven to be a highly effective means of improving the quality of instruction at McLennan Community College (Waco, Texas). If carefully designed, implemented, and evaluated, these courses can provide an appropriate alternative to faculty enrollment in…

This report describes the Montana Tribal College Development Program (MTCDP), a project designed to meet the educational and economic needs of the state's American Indian tribal communities. The document also includes a detailed evaluation of the program based on research results. The MTCDP was designed to improve services of seven American Indian…

Competency Based Teacher Education (CBTE) is examined as a means of providing a systematic approach to handling educational complexity which will lead to modernizing teacher education. Analysis and discussion are offered on: (1) what CBTE consists of and how it functions; (2) CBTE as an educational reform movement in the United States; (3)…