This paper discusses recent efforts in the state of Michigan to maintain diverse, high quality course offerings in the face of declining enrollments. Following a brainstorming session to come up with ways for providing opportunities in such endangered subject areas as advanced languages, mathematics, and science, a Kent (Michigan) Intermediate…

A class was developed for 10 musically talented students in an elementary school, to enable the students to increase their musical interest and knowledge and to improve their music performance skills. Strategies for providing a more challenging musical environment for these students included: a pull-out class, teaching of music theory and…

Ways that computer assisted instruction (CAI) can be useful in teaching English at upperclass and graduate levels are considered, with illustrations from PLATO lessons that have been composed and programmed. One lesson takes advantage of PLATO's graphic design capabilities, which enabled the teacher to design the runic figures and to show them in…

Ten readings offering specific suggestions and ideas for teachers of advanced (third year and beyond) foreign language classes include: (1) "Increasing Enrollments in Upper-Level Classes" by Barbara Snyder; (2) "Coping with the Choices" by Donna E. Sutton; (3) "Group Work in Advanced Classes" by Reid E. Baker; (4)…

An advanced reading text designed for use with a basic course in Persian offered by the Defense Language Institute is presented. The course is an intensive program for native English speakers. The book, which is an adaptation of material originally developed in Iran, is used when the students have completed volumes one to eight. The material is…

Student satisfaction with distance education instruction was assessed in the context of slow scan interactive television between two university campuses and between a university campus and a business location. The three studies focused on graduate level courses. The research questions addressed were: (1) Is the level of student satisfaction with…

This report examines current policies and practices in regard to Oregon high school student participation in college courses and programs. A total of 112 of Oregon's public and private high schools responded to a January 1998 mailed survey concerning early college options programs and policies. It was found that an estimated 6,660 students were…

This paper examines the rationale for introducing popular culture into college-level English-as-a-Second-Language instruction in Mexico, drawing on research and theory in second language instruction, and it offers specific suggestions for classroom presentation of popular cultural content. It is argued that content in popular culture can enhance…

Methods for and results of implementation in the United States of the Second International Science Study's (SISS) advanced-science subsample are discussed. Analyses of student, teacher, and school effects on achievement in advanced biology, chemistry, and physics results are included. American students scored among the lowest four SISS…

Studied which of the formats for advanced science instruction, Advanced Placement (AP) or "honors," is more effective at fostering communication between educators and stimulating their professional development. Interviews (n=18) and mailed surveys (847 responses) provided data. Among the conclusions are that teachers believed the AP…

Recent changes in national and state mathematics standards have increased the level of algebraic thinking taught in younger grades. These changes have prompted more inclusive curriculum designs that open the opportunity to enroll in advanced mathematics courses at younger ages. Of particular interest to this study is the access to eighth-grade…

A classroom study in two advanced Chinese language courses compared the effectiveness of two instructional strategies: (1) proficiency-based instruction through cooperative learning (Chinese 405) and (2) "prochievement," a hybrid, performance-based strategy derived from both proficiency and achievement approaches (Chinese 406). Subjects…

The costs of directing additional instructional resources to lower-division instruction is assessed. "Frontloading," or directing additional resources toward lower-division students, was recommended by a national study group because first- and second-year students are frequently taught by junior instructors in large classes in which they…

Information for second language teachers in Great Britain, also applicable to the situation in the United States, is presented. The material is organized as a response to the availability of second language instruction to students across all ability levels. In addition, issues related to new developments in theory-into-practice (such as the…

Several schools that eschewed the middle school model and remained K-8 discovered anecdotally that their students showed fewer behavioral problems and higher academic achievement than many students enrolled in middle schools. On the basis of studies that verified these observations, school district leaders in Milwaukee, Baltimore, and Philadelphia…