This handbook describes the Edison Project, a private company that was formed in 1991 to establish partnerships with school districts across the United States. The Edison Project tailors Edison's school design to the local community's needs; upgrades school facilities and brings in sophisticated technology; takes responsibility for daily operation…

Integrative education, although organized around curriculum, also unites people and activities. This monograph explores the integration of people, activities, and subject matter as seen through the eyes of those who support and implement the meaning and processes of integrative education. In chapter 1, scholars and trainers in and out of academia…

This Swedish paper discusses the design of an inclusive curriculum for students with disabilities based on Rousseau's concept of a social contract. The importance of a curricular philosophy in which social competence and ecological conditions are crucial provisions in shaping the curriculum is discussed. The social contract philosophy is used to…

It is argued that what is proposed currently as multicultural education is little more than a series of superficial nods to subordinate groups that often celebrate deficits and disguise the legacy of colonialism, and that a pedagogy of critical analysis of the inequities inherent in such a system is more appropriate. A critical, holistic approach…

Italy's 1948 Constitution of the Republic reformed lower secondary education, making schooling compulsory for all citizens. This guide highlights the complex nature of the secondary education system in Italy. It provides information primarily about the upper secondary level of education, which consists of 3, 4, or 5 years of courses following the…

Developing a curriculum is a task that is often discounted in many school corporations during the course of selecting new textbooks. Most school corporations simply adopt a publisher's text and design a curriculum around it. This paper describes some fundamental elements of an effective public-relations program and ways in which the elements can…

This paper discusses the five components of preschool program planning. The first component involves reviewing information about child development, developmental characteristics of young children, and the specific needs of children and families enrolled in the program. The second component involves formulating goals that reflect the philosophy of…

The Proactive Action Model (PAM) is an approach to social studies education that involves students directly in research-type activities. Using the PAM technique, students may research a variety of social studies topics and follow a logical process of thought and inquiry towards a tangible product such as a report or presentation. This application…

Noting the importance of agriculture in a developing nation, this manual provides primary school teachers with ideas for lessons and activities that can be taught in the school garden setting to improve students' application of skills acquired in class. The guide provides examples of specific lesson plans in science, math, social studies, and…

Standards-driven school reform is the national strategy to raise U.S. schools to a world-class level by the year 2000. Schools and school districts must develop plans, that show how to integrate the sets of national goals, standards, and assessments. This paper describes a school-improvement model (SIM) developed by the Gilbert (Iowa) Community…

This monograph addresses the need for reshaping the college undergraduate curriculum in order to meet the new and compelling issues that have emerged from the criticism and analysis of the past decade. These issues are as follows: (1) how to accommodate diverse races and ethnic traditions and both genders; (2) how to incorporate global…

Prepared by the General Education (GE) Review Steering Committee of Massachusetts' Bunker Hill Community College in 1991, this guide presents the Committee's GE curiculum Cornerstone model. Following a short preface which discusses the goals and activities of the Steering Committee, chapter 1 presents a rationale for the model and describes its…

The scope and sequence for high school English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction outlines the goals, objectives, skills, and assessment techniques for an integrated, holistic curriculum for the ESL program found in most Chicago public high schools. It is not coordinated with specific instructional materials, but designed to be adaptable and…

A study, considering the needs of both classroom teachers and university-based instructors, examined how teachers delineated thematic instruction and translated that conception into practice. A total of 20 teachers, representing 17 classrooms, were observed as they implemented thematic instruction. Team-teaching was observed in two classrooms with…

This study investigates the effects on individual students of the integration of the visual, performing and/or musical arts, within their civics, English, history, and geography curricula. The paper describes a qualitative multiple-site study of students in 11 rural, suburban, and urban elementary, middle, and high schools. Integrated units ranged…