Describes a letter exchange project which links university students with bilingual and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students. Finds that letters are relevant and meaningful communication; provide strong motivation to write; and offer an emotional link with another individual who can serve as a role model of the target language. (MG)

Describes a collaborative project between instructors in language arts and social studies at the middle school level that produced a joint educational venture that made reading and writing more meaningful, challenging, and exciting for students and teachers. Describes a "Who's Who" thematic unit integrating reading, writing, and drama.…

The University of Maryland at Baltimore's 12-month graduate program in general dentistry focuses on comprehensive care and treatment planning in a simulated group practice environment. To achieve its goal of self-support, the program solicits training grants from international corporations, generates income from clinical facilities, encourages…

Three major models of adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy professional development are discussed: craft or mentoring models, applied science or theory to practice models, and inquiry or reflective practice models. Each is outlined, examples are provided, and innovative K-12 teacher development practices are suggested. (Contains 50…

The Northern Virginia Community College's challenge of meeting escalating demands with declining resources has resulted in spiraling increases in part-time faculty hiring. The overarching problem is not the growing number or increasing proportion of adjunct faculty, but institutional neglect of this important faculty group, and its exclusion from…

Describes how parents became involved in the portfolio student assessment process at a suburban elementary school, focusing on strategies found to be effective in promoting parent collaboration. Presents information on strategies such as giving information on the process to parents through meetings and a weekly principal newsletter and having…

"Texts and Teachers," a truly collaborative, NEH-funded program originating in Brown University's Department of Comparative Literature, is a long-term university/high-school partnership in creating interdisciplinary courses. Sample course titles include "Desire and the Marketplace,""Coming of Age," and "City…

Gang membership in large cities is declining but may be increasing in small towns. A student high-school teacher in Silver City, New Mexico, describes several academic, counseling, disciplinary, and extracurricular programs (including a support group for gang dropouts) to address students' and teachers' school-safety concerns. (MLH)

Reviews the evolution of Internet-based projects in Japanese computer-assisted language learning and suggests future directions in which the field may develop, based on emerging network technology and learning theory. (Author/VWL)

Describes the planning involved in implementing child-led parent/school conferences to review student portfolios in one second-grade classroom. Notes that the second graders conducted parent conferences very effectively, there was almost 100% attendance at the portfolio night, and no parent asked for a private conference with the teacher. Includes…

To improve third graders' reading scores, a suburban New York school implemented a plan to develop specific reading skills. Success hinged on focused reading instruction using specific strategies; small student groups working with professionals; a consistent, predictable schedule; teacher-prepared materials; regular feedback; and parental…

Designed to improve equity, MMAP (the Middle School Math Through Applications Project) draws traditionally underserved students, such as minorities and girls, into higher mathematics. The plan features an assessment strategy based on what students are learning, definitions of quality work, student accountability, and encouragement of further…

Examines the current interest in consortia among colleges and universities, and describes Five Colleges, Inc., one of the oldest consortiums in the United States. The advantages, challenges, and factors in such collaborative relationships are discussed, with some attention given to financial issues. (MSE)

Describes a system of undergraduate and graduate instructional evaluation that integrates student and peer evaluation techniques. The procedure has three steps: preliminary meeting between faculty member and peer facilitator; in-class assessment session in which the facilitator engages students in focused discussion of teaching, in the teacher's…

The College Park Scholars Program at the University of Maryland is a learning community, based on the model of a residential college, that was designed to attract and retain academically talented undergraduates. Three experiential learning components developed by faculty for the curriculum are colloquia, service learning units, and discovery…