Project GOAL is a systematic dropout prevention model including individual and peer-mediated group interventions for at-risk students. This article provides an overview of the Project GOAL model and describes a 2-year experimental pilot study of Project GOAL with a cohort of eighth-and ninth-grade students in a low-income school district in the…

The role of the visual arts in early childhood education has long been recognised and valued as an essential component of the curriculum. The project featured in this writing stems from a collaborative relationship forged between a non-profit, community-based early education centre and community arts centre. As a result of this collaborative…

This article describes a unique approach to developing and delivering the curriculum for an experimental program that prepares STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) graduates for teaching in high-needs secondary schools. The context for the collaborative design--including the charge, personnel, and purpose of the program--is…

In 1996, faculty at Sitting Bull College (SBC, Fort Yates, North Dakota) developed its Environmental Science (ENS) Program, basing it on the scientific method and techniques students would need for employment in environmental technician positions with local and tribal agencies. Over the course of 15 years, this employment-based training evolved…

In this paper we present a history of the idea of Open Educational Resources, overview the current state of the Open Educational Resources movement, report on critical issues facing the field in the immediate future, and present two new projects to watch in 2009.

Over the period 2006-2008, the Dutch Open Universiteit Nederland conducted an experiment in which Open Educational Resources (OER) were offered in an effort to bridge the gap between informal and formal learning and to establish a new style of entry portal to higher education with no barriers at all. OpenER received considerable attention both in…

An experiment is described which uses a real-world sample of lawn fertilizer in a simple exercise to illustrate problems associated with the sampling step of a chemical analysis. A mixed-particle fertilizer containing discrete particles of iron oxide (magnetite, Fe[subscript 3]O[subscript 4]) mixed with other particles provides an excellent…

A video mock-up is a "design story", described by Patrick Parrish in a recent "TechTrends" article as "imagining the journey of a learner's experience in engaging with a finished design". A design story allows designers to show their design vision to others and to observe features and benefits of the program as a learner would experience it. The…

This article argues that the failure of meaningful educational reform in Germany is largely a result of the weak performance of educational administrators, which is in turn a result of the absence of formal training for educational administrators. The author first reviews the present state of teacher education in Germany and notes that in 1977…

A curriculum model integrating rather than isolating academic disciplines, while preserving uniqueness in each, is discussed. Seven "clustering" rules are outlined, illustrated by a successful application at Babson College (Massachusetts). Although the model is useful for diverse academic subjects, it is especially valuable in combining…

Describes the University of Utah's experiment in liberal education, involving almost 100 freshmen in an integrated series of courses designed to promote educational and social growth. Explains that diversity among students and among teachers affected the programs' success, with approaches working for one student (or teacher) not working for…

A General Registration academic college was established to provide career and academic planning assistance to undeclared majors. Rationale for establishment was academic survival, enrollment projections, and student retention. The Career-Academic Planning Center offers classes, special advisors, and a career resources library. (Author/KMF)

Describes an Israeli experimental program in which homemakers are trained to assist in the care of retarded children remaining at home. (CM)

Describes an eight-week continuing education program which used the Canadian Communications Technology Satellite to provide interactive educational television in the teaching of online computer retrieval techniques to librarians in remote areas. (FM)

Describes a Canadian social service pilot program which employed experienced foster parents as foster family workers to recruit, screen, and train prospective foster parents. (CM)