The 1994-95 school year was the first year of the MECA (Manufacturing, Engineering, Construction, Automotive) partnership implementation in the Saginaw (Michigan) Public Schools. MECA's purpose was to nurture the potential of youth while placing them in workplace environments that had not been a traditional part of applied learning in secondary…

The Science Teachers as Research Scientists (STARS) program is a scientific work experience program conducted at the University of Missouri-St. Louis that provides secondary science teachers internships with faculty researchers. This report evaluates the STARS program with respect to the teachers' (n=17) first summer experiences only. Both…

This book is a collection of research papers and respected philosophical statements on how secondary school students learn science best. Taken together, these papers serve as the basis for the Project on Scope, Sequence, and Coordination of Secondary School Science (SS&C). This book explains where the learning ideas of the SS&C Content…

This manual contains materials for a 2-week workshop to train extension staff and community leaders working at the village level in the Solomon Islands. The aim of the course is to improve participants' skills so they are better able to help communities and community groups design and manage community projects. An introduction addresses the team…

A project studied use of assessment of prior experiential learning (APEL) in admissions to part-time degrees and diplomas at the University of Kent at Canterbury (England, United Kingdom). The APEL course was highlighted in brochures advertising part-time degree, diploma, and Access courses. Interviews with 40 applicants explained APEL and…

Decades of research indicate that when parents take an active part in their children's education, it has a positive impact on their children's academic achievement, attitudes toward learning and school, confidence as a learner, and social behavior. Parents can also help children develop the lifelong learning skills and attitudes they will need in…

This publication is intended to provide educators and business leaders with examples of school-to-career activities that use computer-based and other technologies to enrich and enhance learning about the world of work. The five specific topics are as follows: (1) school-to-career partnerships; (2) bringing the world of work to the classroom; (3)…

This book presents answers to frequently asked questions about hands-on approaches to science teaching and learning. The questions were formulated by speaking with teachers and teacher educators. Variations of the questions are frequently asked by both experienced and novice teachers. A wide range of answers are presented in a triangulated…

This report presents results from Phase 2 of an ongoing Utah State Office of Education project titled "Preliminary Study of Proficiency Based Credit Testing in Utah Public Schools." Proficiency-based credit assessment (PBCA) means awarding secondary school academic credit to students considered proficient in the area without having taken…

The first part of this two-part book on play in public education, contains chapters authored by 23 educators, most of whom had been colleagues or students of Professor Margaret B. McFarland to whose memory the book is dedicated, addresses the need to integrate child development research with classroom practice in order to provide developmentally…

The purpose of this curriculum guide is to help teachers implement the Alabama Course of Study: Science. The major emphasis of the guide is to provide student-oriented, hands-on activities that engage students in "sciencing" behaviors. This guide has two major components, the table of contents and the activities. The table of contents…

A guide on instructional program planning for outdoor education, prepared for Oakland County (Michigan) teachers, contains suggestions for program planning and lists information sources on suitable outdoor activities. The purpose of outdoor education is defined as being: "to enrich, vitalize and complement content areas of the school…

Complete with student worksheets, field trip ideas, illustrations, vocabulary lists, suggested materials, and step-by-step procedures, the document presents a compilation of ideas for teaching elementary school (K-6) students about marine and fresh water. In the first unit students build miniature monuments and observe the deterioration of…

A global approach to citizenship education, the Human and Environmental Learning Program (HELP), is presented in two sections--one emphasizing the student and the other the teacher. The philosophy and rationale for the program, which integrates environmental education, global studies, and social studies, are outlined. The objective is to expose…

This document contains executive summaries that report on short-term projects undertaken as part of the U.S. Department of Labor's Apprenticeship 2000 initiative, the purpose of which is to determine the future role of apprenticeship in meeting needs for a skilled work force. The 13 studies are on the following subjects: (1) issues relating to…