American Indian Studies (AIS) faces many problems in its attempt to emerge as an academic discipline, but several activities, individuals, and concepts offer possible solutions. AIS is a conceptually rudderless discipline, isolated both within the academic environment and from its cultural roots, and functioning as career ladder for those who wish…

This speech presents a teacher's account of the implementation of the Standards of Excellence Program in a Denver, Colorado, elementary school. Eight questions from the assessment instrument are cited that prompted the staff to reevaluate the educational program. Results of the assessment were analyzed by a committee, and objectives were set by…

The foreign language faculty at College of Saint Scholastica Minnesota) developed and implemented 10-day Spanish and French immersion programs based on Peace Corps methodology as a means of affording students time for intensive study of those languages, improving students' fluency, and instituting a change in teaching methodology. The first…

READI, a project administered by the Idaho Cooperative Extension Service, adapted to local conditions by community advisory groups, and taught by peer teachers, offers basic training in computer technology to adult residents of rural areas. The READI resource manual has five sections. The first section provides an overview of the project,…

A study examined how teachers change as they implement a process writing approach. Four questions provided the framework for the study: (1) How do teachers' perceptions of themselves as writers influence their writing instruction? (2) How do teachers at different grade levels implement process writing instruction? (3) What institutional and…

The relationships among training activities, teacher perceptions of recommended practices, and teacher behavior change were investigated. Nineteen junior high school teachers of low-achieving students were observed prior to receiving training in workshops on use of academic time. The teachers also responded to questionnaires designed to determine…

Twelve papers were presented at a 1980 International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) workshop on the generalization of educational innovations from the local to the national level. Six of these papers are published in this report, along with a substantial bibliography and an introductory chapter summarizing the papers and describing the…

This booklet surveys the possibilities in instituting a 4-day school week, an approach which has gained favor in some small school districts. The history of the 4-day week and its characteristics are first described. Drawing on case studies of districts that have begun the 4-day schedule, the authors enumerate the steps in proposing and…

A regional workshop was held in which educational researchers and practitioners shared their innovations, successes, concerns, and progress in using research and development to promote excellence in their state and local education agencies. This document reports its proceedings. "School Improvement: What the Research Says," by David P.…

The processes of instructional materials development and dissemination used in four Stanford Program on International and Cross Cultural Education (SPICE) projects dealing with Latin America, Africa, China, and Japan are described, and evaluative comments based on a review of the curriculum development process are made. The major purpose of the…

Research from 14 Asian and Pacific countries suggests that the outcome of educational research is not sufficiently utilized by educators in those countries. Several recommendations for the development of information exchange were discussed at an educational research seminar. It was recommended that research projects be worthy and be…

The Macomb Plan, recently developed by Macomb Community College (MCC), is a delivery system for the final two years of a four-year college degree to be housed in a facility located on a two-year college campus. The plan is designed to meet the unique needs of an adult learner's lifestyle, while approximating most of the elements that make up the…

This paper describes the KEY Program as a successful cooperative effort of the Rochester (New York) Institute of Technology (RIT) and the Livingston-Steuben-Wyoming Board of Cooperative Educational Services (LSW-BOCES). The KEY Program's primary mission is to expand course offerings to high school students in the Rochester area through distance…

This review explores the debate on optimal school size and discusses policy options available to states for expanding curricular offerings in small rural schools. Policy options are divided into three broad categories: traditional, modified traditional, and nontraditional. The report explores the possibilities available under each approach,…

The implementation of a legislative mandate to promote innovation in postsecondary education through the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) is analyzed. Attention is directed to how this highly discretionary program successfully translated policy goals into grants practices. The values of two implementation strategies…