Although ability partly explains why some students are eager to learn in school whereas others are disinterested, motivation is another significant factor. This newsletter discusses factors that affect students' motivation to learn, considers techniques that can increase motivation, and identifies schools that have developed activities to enhance…

This module of the staff training series deals with the practical problems that arise when setting a framework for effective staff development, by concentrating on a number of experiential activities for accomplishing the staff development mission. Presented among the strategies for accomplishing total staff development are field trips to work…

On the average, 10 percent of District of Columbia Public School (DCPS) students--approximately 8,500 students--are absent from school each day. In order to combat truancy, which often leads to dropping out, DCPS developed the Truancy Prevention Plan, part of a Comprehensive Plan for School Attendance Improvement, which was implemented between…

The focus of this paper is the preparation for and the improvement of teaching as a craft. The author hypothesizes that, in order to improve the art of teaching, the notion of problem solving as a daily routine, access to resource allocation, and a change in the ethos of teaching to include a mastery of the craft and cooperative efforts among the…

In 1997, twelve Karen Burmese teachers brought a Vision Paper to the Tham Hin refugee camp in Thailand. The teachers had recently written this Paper after much consultation with their Mergui-Tavoy villagers, students, leaders, and school dropouts. Over the following five years teams developed a project outlining 10 steps to educational reform,…

Responses of college administrators in schools facing conditions of fiscal stress, and alternative strategies found to be effective in private sector firms are examined. It is suggested that many college administrators are responding to conditions of decline by being conservative and efficiency oriented. A number of factors within and outside the…

The purpose of the Center for Helping Organizations Improve Choice in Education (CHOICE) project, the scope of its activities, and evaluations of the effectiveness of those activities are described. One major project goal was to encourage and facilitate institutional efforts to provide more complete and accurate information to prospective…

A model is presented for upgrading statewide school psychology practice by raising the level of entry for school psychology certification. Central features of the plan are outlined, including how it permits those who currently do not meet the revised standards to participate in a field-based program to increase their knowledge and skills so that…

A study was conducted to determine the feasibility of using the computer-based Synagraphic Mapping Program (SYMAP) and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) in formulating an efficient and accurate information system which Creek Nation tribal staff could implement and use in planning for more effective and precise delivery of…

The experiences and results of the Urban/Rural School Development Program, a federally-sponsored effort to improve education in poor communities, are reviewed in this study. The thrust of the program was to involve community members and school staff from 25 extremely poor neighborhoods in equal decision making focused on the use of staff…

AS ENGLISH SUPERVISORS SEEK TO IMPROVE THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH, THEY SHOULD CONSIDER THAT DEVELOPMENTS IN OTHER SCHOOLS DO NOT ALWAYS SUIT LOCAL CONDITIONS AND THAT PRESENT CHANGE IN THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH ALLOWS TEACHERS TO EXPERIMENT FREELY IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. IN LIGHT OF THIS FREEDOM TO INNOVATE, SUPERVISORS MAY FIND THE FOLLOWING SIX IDEAS…

THIS EXPERIMENT IN THE ETV PROJECT SHOWED THE SUPERIORITY OF PUPIL PRACTICE AS A TEACHING METHOD AND STUDIED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE UTILIZATION VOLUNTEER (A PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER CONCERNED WITH IMPLEMENTING ETV IN THE SCHOOLS) IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. THREE TREATMENTS WERE ARRANGED--(1) ACTIVE PUPIL PRACTICE WHERE BROADCASTS WERE COMBINED WITH…

This paper examines instructional technology as a means to achieve improvement of instruction and learning. Emphasis of recent research on technical and mechanical aspects of instructional systems is criticized because means and materials take precedence over learning objectives. It is concluded that the entire educational system, not just the…

The manpower problem in North Carolina Appalachia, an inadequate supply of skilled labor, is essentially a problem in public school education resulting from deficiencies in basic education and work preparation for non-college-bound youth. For the schools to respond effectively, 4 basic things must happen in public education: (1) Public education…

Post-secondary occupational education was created to meet the developing needs for a new class of worker--the technician, the technologist, the semi-professional working as an assistant to professionals. This publication deals with the importance of post-secondary programs in meeting the manpower demands created by technological advancement. Among…