The Maine 4-H Afterschool Academy trained 369 after-school and out of school time providers in 2011. This easy-to-adapt professional development opportunity used blended learning, a combination of in-person and Web-based opportunities. Providers successfully learned concepts and practical knowledge regarding 4-H, specifically 4-H Science. In…

Anecdotal accounts from teachers have long suggested the possibility that virtual teaching experiences have a positive impact on face-to-face teaching practices, a so-called "reverse impact" phenomenon. Survey and focus group data collected as part of a statewide evaluation of a virtual school offered an opportunity to explore this impact.…

Because a significant portion of U.S. students lacks critical mathematic skills, schools across the country are investing heavily in computerized curriculums as a way to enhance education output, even though there is surprisingly little evidence that they actually improve student achievement. In this paper we present results from a randomized…

An overview of five case studies and ancillary essays on teacher implementation of the California Mathematics Curriculum Framework is provided. The dilemma of the teacher as the traditionalist versus the teacher as innovator is underscored. Research of this nature provides insights into how instructional policy and teaching practice affect each…

The Phase 1 induction training received by provisional teachers from their local school districts and the student teaching experience of Trenton State College students were studied. Under the New Jersey Provisional Teacher Program, the professional education of the alternate route provisional teachers is provided by the local school district and…

This case study assesses the adoption of the California Mathematics Curriculum Framework by a second grade teacher. Although the teacher perceives herself as successfully implementing the curriculum, observation indicates that the innovations have been filtered through a very traditional approach. The result is a remarkable melange of novel and…

This case study depicts a "traditional" fifth grade teacher's approach to implementing the California Mathematics Curriculum Framework. This teacher's beliefs and knowledge and their interplay with the state curriculum directives, his accountability to his students, and his commitment to their success are examined, with emphasis on the…

One form of educational inequity faced by most students is that schools recognize only linguistic and logical intelligence and do not allow for forms of intelligence expressed through the arts. The performance-based assessments of the Kentucky Education Reform Act and the Kentucky Basic Arts pilot program address the multiple intelligences of…

Prepared for State University of New York/Buffalo researchers participating in a state-sponsored educational financing project, this background paper focuses on the vocational education "program effects" of changing financial aid formulas and/or the rationale for organizing school districts and regional services. It scrutinizes the role of Boards…

These three publications examine the current state and future of apprenticeship and industry training in Alberta, Canada. The "Current Context" publication, released in October 1996, examines the following topics: the structure of apprenticeship and industry training in Alberta; enrollment and industry participation; Alberta's…