In this interview, a high school art teacher explains why her initial enthusiasm for block scheduling evaporated. Problems arose with foreign-language instruction, science labs, lesson planning, field trips, space utilization, supplies, and overenrollment in elective subjects like music and art. Teachers had little control or administrative…

Sustaining reform requires district leaders to develop a supportive infrastructure, nurture professional communities, reduce turnover, and use facilitators to build capacity. Bringing educators up to speed means providing abundant staff development, balancing pressure with support, providing adult learning time, and reducing fragmentation and…

This article explores some fundamental features that foster the development of collaborative relationships and collaborative communities, which in turn support the success of students with disabilities. Effective mechanisms are presented for accessing and improving collaborative support networks. Start-up problems that may arise in many schools…

Discusses how early childhood programs can blend developmentally appropriate practices with early childhood special education recommended practices. The elements of an inclusive program and the guidelines to developmentally appropriate practice are explained, and strategies for implementing both practices within the same setting are described. (CR)

Discusses what the compensation manager at a diverse college or university can do with scant resources to meet the varied compensation needs of the institution. Offers as an example the University of Florida system, which has a flexible policy that incorporates new concepts into training programs and offers new options in consultations. (MSE)

Describes automatic information retrieval system designed and built to handle Arabic data. Discusses cost-effectiveness of automatic indexing. Compares retrieval results using words as index terms versus stems and roots. Includes 19 tables; 60 queries using full words and relevance judgments are appended. (JAK)

The pervasive use of communication technology in schools and universities requires increased security to safeguard information confidentiality, integrity, availability, utility, and authenticity. This article, the first of two, examines procedures for implementing security policy, techniques for minimizing vulnerability, and techniques for…

This case study reflects block scheduling's effects on advanced-placement mathematics courses of one veteran teacher tracking personal progress since 1989. Block scheduling began in 1994, creating problems for the teacher, whose resistance to the reform was based on declining advanced-placement scores. Teacher attitude and insufficient…

Describes an initiative at the University of Missouri-Columbia to design and implement a technology infrastructure and associated enterprises in a college of education. Outlines technology priorities (improve teaching, develop new media, create learning environments, increase information exchange); presents technology, facility, organizational,…

Describes Staffordshire University Lichfield Centre (SULC) as a partnership program formed in response to the changing environment of UK higher education and the needs of the local economy. States that SULC aims to provide lifelong learning opportunities to local people and businesses, specializing in business, computing and information…

A survey of 224 early childhood special education public school programs in Massachusetts obtained information on program implementation, child characteristics, program settings, service characteristics, teacher characteristics, family involvement, and funding/administration. Results revealed important variations among school districts in…

Successful development and implementation of outcome-based education requires long-range planning and ongoing commitment from all planning partners. District-level planning is essential. A well-designed strategic plan embraces OBE philosophies, premises, and principles and should consist of a district philosophy, vision, and mission and a set of…

Analyzes current and future directions of educational change in Quebec, highlighting major policy themes: governance and organization, teaching and learning, and human and financial resources. The necessary conditions for achieving intended reform goals may be lacking. Schools lack the capacity to engage in self-development without external…

With strong administrative and parental support, Hinsdale (Illinois) Central High School successfully launched an inclusive (and heterogeneous-grouping) policy with five special-needs ninth graders in fall 1995; eight others took some regular courses while remaining in their traditional special-education program. (MLH)

Shares the author's experience as a third-grade teacher coping for two years with the changes in her classroom brought about by the schoolwide implementation of a comprehensive reading program called Success For All (SFA). Describes how she tries to incorporate what she believes to be effective without compromising the program's implementation.…