This spring, as schools grappled with sudden closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the phrase "building the plane as we fly it" was no exaggeration. Practically overnight, schools had to figure out an entirely different modality of instruction. And though the 2019-20 school year is finished, it is looking like new challenges are likely…

As the use of project-based learning becomes more frequent in the K-12 science classroom, and in chemistry classrooms in particular, teachers have begun to identify practical questions about implementation that should be addressed empirically. One such question concerns whether there is an ideal group size that fosters individual student…

One hundred eighty-two schools (94 percent) responded to the survey of organized school-community groups. The survey instrument consisted of five questions in relation to four specified school groups (Neighborhood School Council, Parent-Teacher Association, Home and School Association, and Local School Board) although other groups could be added.…

Although many definitions of team teaching have been proposed since its inception in 1957, none so far seems adequate in describing its complex organizational makeup. Although each team teaching plan may have unique characteristics, certain organizational elements typical of team teaching plans can be identified. A team must have a minimum of two…

Ad-hoc committees may be symbolic, informational, or action committees. A literature survey indicates such committees' structural components include a suprasystem and three subsystems involving linkages, production, and implementation. Other variables include size, personal factors, and timing. All the factors carry implications about ad-hoc…

Meeting the needs of gifted students within the regular classroom requires appropriate uses of cluster grouping, where small groups of students with similar learning needs are assigned to a particular teacher; an extended support system for the teacher; and educational differentiation to meet student needs. (JDD)

Reports the relationship between the teachers' participation in organizational decision-making and the perceived influence attributed to their administrative superiors, the principal and the superintendent. (Author)

This Personalized Activity Kit deals with one aspect of preparation for group process, that of orienting members and obtaining consensus on basic issues prior to convening the group. The participants will learn the delphi technique and use it in a hypothetical situation. The delphi technique can facilitate the working of a group by familiarizing…

This fact sheet on cluster grouping of gifted students explains what cluster groups are, contrasts cluster grouping with tracking, offers a rationale for cluster grouping, outlines the special learning needs of gifted students, lists specific skills needed by cluster teachers, points out that cluster grouping should supplement rather than replace…

Journal papers, dissertations and monographs on theory and research in sociometrics in education are cited. Forty references are examined in the areas of classroom socialization structure and skills, the stability of choices in friendship, attraction between individuals, and the relationship between learning styles and sociometry. Teacher roles in…

Developed by the Amity (Oregon) School District 4-J (a small, rural farming district consisting of two outlying feeder elementary schools, one elementary school in town, and the high school), the Citizens Advisory Committee Constitution consists of seven sections. Statements by the superintendent and school board chairman regarding the role of the…

To encourage the involvement of the community in mathematics, science, and technology education, some states and localities have formed alliances. This book outlines four key components of alliance building: process, environment, structure, and outcomes; and describes how changes in one component affect the others. It is designed to serve as a…

Since 1978, federal legislation and regulations have required that Teacher Corps projects involve the participation of elected councils of at least seven members representative of the parents and other residents of the communities within the boundaries of the project schools. These councils participate in such project functions as needs…

The purpose of this Personalized Activity Kit (PAK) is to describe a leadership style in which leadership is less a matter of who holds what position or role and more a matter of each member performing the function needed by the group at any particular time. This style is called functional leadership. The PAK identifies two key functions essential…

A comparison of two networks of citizens and parents leads to the conclusion that an effective citizen network in education should have a formal organization, structured leadership, specific goals, and a diverse and active membership. The rise of such groups is attributed to people's feelings that schools are failing to educate. These networks of…