This book presents the history of Project Spectrum, a 10-year research project dedicated to developing an alternative approach to curriculum and assessment that respects the diverse interests and abilities that children bring to the preschool and early elementary classroom. The first chapter presents Spectrum's theoretical roots--David Henry…

This book is a study of the diffusion and transformation of the kindergarten around the turn of the twentieth century, concentrating most centrally on the power of local cultures to respond to and reformulate borrowed ideas. Eleven case studies represent western and nonwestern national histories, various religious traditions, and a range of…

The Free to Grow pilot project, developed by the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and its Head Start project, operated between 1994 and 1999. Following a 2-year planning and development stage, 5 project sites went on to complete the 3-year implementation phase in California, Colorado, Kentucky, New York, and Puerto Rico; the…

Noting that the need for basic skills education among the current labor force cannot be easily met by vocational training alone, this booklet presents the case for family literacy education to improve the skills of unemployed workers and describes the work of the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL). Family literacy is defined as having four…

This document consists of the three 1999 issues of The Bernard van Leer Foundation's "Early Childhood Matters." This periodical, addressed to practitioners in the field of early childhood education, evolved from an in-house publication directed to projects funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation. Articles in the February 1999 edition…

This report describes a program encouraging students to choose reading as a recreational activity. The targeted population consisted of first, second, third, and fourth grade students in a growing middle class community, near a large Midwestern city. The problem of students choosing recreational activities other than reading was documented through…

This is the twelfth edition of the Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) Fact Book presented by the Office of Institutional Research. This edition is designed to serve as a readily available source of information about the college. The NVCC Fact Book contains chapters (1-6) on the college's student enrollments, graduates, personnel, finances…

The need for improved access to quality services for children and their families has resulted in a wide variety of early childhood and out-of-school time initiatives. Recognizing that developing financing plans and finding funding sources are a major challenge for these initiatives, this guide is intended to assist state and local officials, as…

The College Board's Advanced Placement Program was founded in 1955 to provide high school students an opportunity to take on the challenges of college-level work while still in high school. For 46 years, students have enrolled in AP courses, taken rigorous end-of-course AP Examinations to demonstrate their achievement, and frequently have received…

The most common configuration for the middle level is for grades 6-8 to be housed together. Although not a common configuration, there are some ninth grade only campuses sprinkled throughout the United States. Many of these schools were designed to address overcrowding issues either at the middle or high school while some were designed to help…

Described is Project Worker, a program which uses audiotapes and videotapes (showing work stations in various industries) in classrooms to improve the vocational skills of educable mentally retarded, educationally handicapped, or orthpedically handicapped students (14- to 19-years-old). (GW)

Discusses the evolution of a set of research programs (dealing with the removal of liquid contaminants from surfaces) used to introduce graduate students to methods of design, evaluation, and modification within the context of a larger research program. Stresses the simultaneity and interaction of theoretical and experimental studies. (JM)

The program for artistically talented in the Jersey City Public Schools primarily serves a disadvantaged population. Among its activities are field trips to the countryside and to local neighborhoods. Students get new visual experiences which they can compare to familiar ones and are encouraged to use in their artwork. (CS)

The first two years' experience at the Waterford School are described by an administrator and a parent. Waterford is a private, nontuition school conducted as the major activity of an educational institute dedicated to research, innovation, and the application of advanced technologies such as microcomputers and videodiscs to education and…

The development of an interactive videodisc-microcomputer simulation of a visit to a Mexican village for college-level Spanish instruction is described. Problems encountered, production considerations, computer program development, hardware, and classroom results are discussed. (MSE)