This dissertation explored the roles schools can play in the successful outcomes of large carnivore or keystone reintroduction projects. Schools are more than centers for knowledge acquisition--they connect their community and disseminate information quickly to a wide audience. This study took place in California's Eastern Sierra Nevada, a…

As a result of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation and the reauthorization of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004, Response to Intervention (RTI) is now a mandated process for documenting the existence or nonexistence of a learning disability. For educators new to the RTI approach, this text presents an overview of key…

A project provided more than 800 adult educators in Pennsylvania with a wide range of staff development activities and instructional strategies for teaching students with learning differences and multilevel abilities in the same classroom. It established a model for staff development that built upon previous projects and used a variety of delivery…

In 1996, North Carolina began a 5-year evaluation of alternative learning programs (ALPs). This report contains in-depth case studies of four ALPs during the 1996-97 school year. The ALPs were selected to represent different types of programs in the state, and include one middle school, two high school, and one elementary school programs. The case…

In the first section of this collection of essays on part-time faculty development, Carol Eliason outlines the problems inherent in current staff development practices and a systems approach to their solution. Then, David Harris voices concerns and challenges from the college president's perspective. Richard Smith explains the benefits of…

Discusses programs sponsored by groups that promote history instruction in the state of Maine. Reports recent developments concerning Maine's social studies curriculum. Underscores the significance of and financial problems facing "Maine's Common Core of Learning," a program setting out what the state's youth should know in the…

For the past five years, Vermont has been developing an innovative statewide assessment system in which portfolios of student work in mathematics and writing are a key element. The use of mathematics portfolios, particularly in elementary school, is a novel aspect of the assessment system. This study examines the elementary school mathematics…

A national consensus has been developing in recent years on the crisis of values faced by the United States. A measure that has recently reemerged and captured a measure of public attention is character education. This paper examines the degree to which state governments and their educational establishments have attempted to use character…

The Ohio Department of Public Schools launched its Ohio Urban Schools Initiative as a commitment to systemic long-term change in the state's 24 urban districts. This report contains a framework that represents the initial phase of the Urban Schools Initiative, which developed into a collaborative effort among the school systems, state and local…

This project provided adult educators in Pennsylvania with information about adults with learning differences and training in the use of alternative instructional techniques. Although the majority of training was conducted through presentations, many more adult educators were affected by the project through the information provided in the Learning…

Results of a 1987 report indicating that elementary students of all states were above the national average are assessed. Issues addressed include teaching for standardized tests, the effect of teaching on national norms, and alternatives available to protect the integrity of instruction and the validity of normed test scores. (TJH)

A survey of all colleges and universities in 13 western states was conducted by the Northwest Task Force on Higher Educational Information Technologies in mid-1984 to obtain information that could be used to: (1) describe current instructional applications of video, audio, and computer technologies; (2) facilitate networking among educators who…

An evaluative study was conducted in Oregon of Adult Basic Education Programs in progress during the school year 1969-70. Depth interviews were held with local administrators, teachers of A.B.E., program counselors, and a random sampling of A.B.E. students. An oral questionnaire was used; and a Self-Study Questionnaire was sent in advance of a…

Recent state reforms that embrace the effective schools movement may actually be counterproductive. These mandates encourage the persistence of outmoded, teacher centered, pedagogical practices and current school organizational structures, inhibiting the development of students' independent reasoning and problem-solving skills, as well as the…

A program, in Rhode Island, to reduce student referrals to special education programs is evaluated in this study together with its impact on classroom teacher policy. The Classroom Alternative Process (CAP) addresses strategies for regular education teachers to remediate students' problems prior to, or instead of, referral to special education.…