The Hale County (Alabama) school system and the University of Alabama formed a long-range collaborative relationship targeted at meeting staffing shortages and improving science instruction in the rural county. Statistically significant gains were achieved in the science teachers' mastery of content, teaching methodology, and attitudes toward…

Describes a successful training model for early childhood educators (Grades K-three) and paraprofessionals who are unprepared to work with mainstreamed handicapped children. Specifically discussed are program goals and objectives; training modules; training activities; on-site visitation; evaluation; and discussion and recommendations. (Author/DST)

Dual credit programs were first established in the 1970s, gradually gaining popularity in the 1980s, and expanding enormously through the 1990s. These programs are designed to allow high school students to begin college-level coursework and simultaneously earn high school and college credit. While the original intent was to provide more…

This document, fourth in a series, describes trends in statewide assessment programs. It is based on surveys conducted in the past for the Association of State Assessment Programs. States were asked to describe the assessment programs they operated during the 1995-96 school year. Part One of the survey asks each state to describe its existing…

The fifth edition of the "Annual Survey of State Student Assessment Programs," tabulates extensive and detailed information about each state's assessment programs based on surveys conducted in the past for the Association of State Assessment Programs. The entire survey is presented. Part One asks each state to describe its existing…

This booklet describes the success of tech prep under the federal school-to-work (STW) initiative and provides case studies showing how schools and businesses are using tech prep to create the world's best work force for the new millennium. The first section discusses the payoff from STW, and the second section describes tech prep. Section 3…

This UNESCO-supported case study report documents aspects of New Zealand's integration of the administrative auspices for early childhood care and education (ECCE) into the national education authority, the Department/Ministry of Education. The report is presented in nine sections. Following the introductory section providing a historical overview…

This chapter is part of a book that recounts the year's work at the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) at Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi. Rather than an "elitist" laboratory school for the children of university faculty, the dual-language ECDC is a collaboration between the Corpus Christi Independent School District and…

Noting that the disappointing findings of the first-year evaluation of the 21st-Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) after-school program were offered as a rationale for a requested decrease in funding in President Bush's fiscal year 2004 education budget, this report compiles expert commentary on methodological issues in that evaluation…

The three-year Miami University (Ohio) project to develop teaching portfolios is described. The department-based approach acknowledges that departments and disciplines have different cultures, and that departments are where rewards are determined. Issues in portfolio development and use, including benefits and problems, are discussed and…

Describes a collaborative project between California State University, Los Angeles, and an urban elementary school that fostered conditions for parent involvement in the school and home-school cooperation. Workshops, English classes, and a parent mentor program were features of the successful effort. (SLD)

Two different approaches to community involvement in the schools are demonstrated by participants in the School-Community Connection initiative of the Institute for Responsive Education. The Wisconsin school district connects students to the outside environment, while the Hawaii district brings supportive networks into the school to nurture…

Discusses the development, implementation and implications of the Parent Assisted Reading Program at the Sunrise School in northern Utah which serves half-day kindergarten children. This program was designed to increase volunteer participation by parents in early (storybook) reading activities in the schools. (BB)

Arizona allows charters to be granted by local school boards, the state board of education, or gubernatorially appointed boards. Regulatory loopholes allow multiple campuses, private school conversions, and outside-of-district charters. Market-based choice depends on political support, a strong state government, and enormous parental and teacher…

Widespread dissatisfaction caused a Nevada district to reexamine and revamp its teacher-evaluation process. The new system, which assumes teacher participation in goal setting helps teachers become self-reflective practitioners capable of adjusting their practices, has four domains: planning and preparation, classroom environment, instruction, and…