In response to the numerous school reform initiatives being implemented, Sternberg proposed a theory of contextual modifiability stating that successful change in a school requires that the school be modifiable. Sternberg developed the School Characteristics Inventory (SCI), a 116-item Likert scale questionnaire, to assess schools'…

This is the culminating report of a three-year study of seven small schools in Washington State. It examines adult learning in the context of school redesign and highlights three schools where teachers are beginning to capitalize on adult learning opportunities to turn the corner to instructional change. In our view, effective adult learning…

IMHE-Info is the newsletter published by the Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE) programme. This issue includes: Higher Education: The Keys to Sustainability. IMHE News, publications of interest and upcoming events are included.

In May 1996, the Education Commission of the United States, with the support of the Charles A. Dana Foundation, convened a 2-day meeting in Austin (Texas) to focus on urban school district reform and restructuring. Participants, who included state policymakers, superintendents of several urban school systems, and a number of education researchers…

The Aspen Institute's Forum on Communications and Society (FOCAS) is a group of chief executive officers or their equivalents from business, government and the nonprofit sector who meet annually to suggest innovative ways that business, government, and the nonprofit sector can collaborate to use communications and information goods and services…

Local historical investigation can make history more relevant and allow national trends to be understood as they were reflected in local incidents. Research-based historical reenactment is growing in popularity throughout North America but has had limited use in classrooms because of overreliance on textbooks and teacher concerns about curriculum…

This document reports on a study of two approaches to an analytical chemistry course: (1) a structured active learning approach; and (2) a step-by-step lecture style problem solving approach. The purpose of the study was to assess and compare the outcomes of these approaches. The data consisted of open-ended interviews with students, open-ended…

This paper discusses the processes and outcomes of translating a traditionally-taught business writing course into the online format, using bulletin board software. The paper covers creating, teaching, and managing the online business writing course at Golden Gate University (San Francisco, California). Pedagogical objectives are to emulate group…

Intended for teachers of middle school, this book offers information and activities to help students appreciate and value world events from the perspective of diverse human cultures. The goals are to provide interdisciplinary and multicultural activities that integrate language, reading, and writing skills into the five content areas of social…

This book is a guide to using new computer technologies in innovative ways to teach writing, particularly imaginative writing. The book shows how on-line technology can be a positive tool in the classroom, if the focus is on the users of the technology and the technology is integrated into the curriculum. The book is divided into five sections and…

In 1991, Ohio received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a Statewide Systemic Initiative called Discovery to reform science and mathematics education. Funding since that year has included a grant to identify barriers to science and mathematics education reform, particularly barriers such as community and school resources,…

Education in South Africa underwent major changes with the passage of the South African Schools Act of 1996. The details of this act and some of its consequences are outlined in this report. The paper opens with the particulars of the act and delves into the act's wording, asking "What is basic education?" and "What is meant by…

The conversion of a course for delivery via video teleconferencing can easily become an insurmountable task for a faculty member working alone. The model used at Tarleton State University (Stephenville, Texas) for the conversion of courses for delivery via video teleconferencing entails collaboration between the faculty member and an instructional…

Reports on case studies of three secondary school teachers who were implementing the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project (UCSMP) for the first time. The research examined whether innovative textbooks and curriculum materials can play a role in the process of change in instructional practice. Data from field observations, interviews,…

Wellness Management has been designed as an option in the health education bachelors program at Plymouth State College of the University System of New Hampshire. The Wellness Management option was created because alumni and employers stated that graduates needed business skills in order to be more marketable and effective as health educators. The…