This document examines the first year of Jobs for the Future's Benchmark Communities Initiative (BCI), a 5-year effort to achieve the following: large-scale systemic restructuring of K-16 educational systems; involvement of significant numbers of employers in work and learning partnerships; and development of the infrastructure necessary to…

This manual provides guidelines on the roles and responsibilities of boards of education and administrators in creating effective schools for American Indian students. Mission statements from both the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Indian Education Programs and the Association of Community Tribal Schools reflect a shared goal of ensuring…

Each year, almost one-third of adults in Denmark participates in some kind of adult education activity. Danish cultural and educational tradition is based on Folkeoplysning, a process in which personal learning in all areas of life is transformed into both life competence and usable occupational abilities. Increasingly, developments in Denmark's…

This book proposes an "engagement" theory of program quality to evaluate and improve higher education programs at all degree levels. Based on interviews with 781 participants in a national study of Masters degree programs, it focuses on the interactive roles of students, faculty, and administrators in developing high-quality programs…

These three documents (a curriculum guide and two learning guides) are designed for use in police academies in Texas for advanced officer training. The curriculum guide provides a comprehensive training program designed to give police officers a working knowledge and understanding of how to interact while in the line of duty with persons who have…

This study investigated the effectiveness of a second language program in seven schools in a medium-sized school district in central California during the 1994-95 school year. Three educational levels (elementary, middle, and high school) were examined from the perspectives of teachers (n=194), administrators (n=23), instructional aides (n=40),…

This report overviews the rationale for conducting an ethnographic study of cultural factors that influence student aspiration in Tremont, a small rural community on Mount Desert Island, Maine. Although Tremont is the poorest community on Mount Desert Island, Tremont students scored as well or better on the Maine Educational Assessment than did…

This curriculum guide, which is intended for middle school agriculture teachers in Virginia, outlines a three-course competency-based agriscience program to give middle school students an understanding of basic science concepts through agriculture. The guide begins with a program description that includes descriptions of the program's three…

This report examines resources supporting technology in New York public schools and how well state policies and funding streams support the New York State Regents' goals. It also explores proposed fiscal and operational changes that contribute to or inhibit effective integration of technology within the curriculum. The report discusses some…

This teaching module instructs preservice teachers about accelerating the progress of rural gifted students. Acceleration consists of various provisions that allow early completion of school, including grade-skipping, cross-grade placement, early entry, dual attendance, special class placement, and radical acceleration. In rural areas, the…

The whole language approach to reading instruction emphasizes a literature-based program rather than the traditional skills-related approach. The principles and practices of whole language have engendered both educational and political debate for the following reasons: whole language challenges the traditional educational power arrangement, giving…

A study investigated the characteristics of 14 second language institutes available to adults in Sana'a (Yemen), an area in which second language instruction has historically been difficult to obtain. Data were gathered through interviews and observation. It was found that seven of the institutions offer English instruction, and five offer Arabic…

This study explored faculty views about a new concept, departmental vision. Since the literature presents many different views of what the term "vision" encompasses, this study sought to establish criteria useful in an academic setting. The study was conducted at a large midwestern public research university; data were collected through…

Understanding the principles of sustainability and the interdependence of the environment, the economy, and social systems can help individuals learn to make the changes necessary to become effective stewards of natural resources and the environment. This document describes three broad policy recommendations as to how Americans can build concepts…

This textbook introduces teachers to the world of social studies teaching and learning in elementary and middle schools. The book is divided into three parts. Part 1, "Orientation to Social Studies Education," consists of sections (1) "Social Studies Education: What and Why?" and (2) "The Children We Teach." Part 2, "The Social Studies…