Evaluated two computer-assisted instructional programs designed to help students at risk earn credits for high school graduation and preparation for postsecondary education. Findings from two courses in an alternative high school illustrate research-based classroom features associated with a collaborative environment of state, district, and…

Describes a collaboration between a university education professor and a team of four middle school teachers to create and implement an interdisciplinary thematic unit of study about the Caribbean region. Describes how the unit dealt with language arts, math, science, and social studies areas, and describes alternative forms of assessment used to…

Twelve school-based speech-language practitioners enlisted the assistance of a university clinical phonologist to implement a research project investigating phonological acquisition. The speech samples of 520 children (ages 2-8) were transcribed. The 3-year-olds had acquired all major phoneme classes except liquids, /l/ was acquired between 4- 5,…

Reports on the views of 18 educational leaders regarding their vision on the future of education in an information age. Topics include people's diverse needs; relationships between morality, ethics, values, and technology; leadership; parental involvement; online courses from multiple higher education institutions; teachers' role; technology…

Presents an interview with Linda Roberts, special advisor on educational technology in the U.S. Department of Education. Topics discussed include helping parents and teachers understand the need for technology in education; teacher training; teachers' roles; the National Information Infrastructure; strategic planning; and partnerships between…

Addresses moral and ethical dilemmas related to parent involvement in schools. Suggests that school administrators can build effective partnerships by fostering trust and mutual respect between teachers and parents; reeducating parents, teachers, and administrators about their roles in educating children; and ensuring that partnerships are based…

The Niagara Falls Secondary School Family Learning Program targets young disadvantaged parents and their preschool children for family literacy development that focuses on parent-child literacy and social interaction. Guidelines for program development include establishing partnerships based on a shared vision of family literacy, developing plans…

The Road to Readiness component of the Center on Families, Communities, Schools, and Children's Learning focused on individual, family, and community supports and obstacles to school readiness. Several projects of the initiative are described, focusing on a chart developed to help parents encourage a child's early speech. (SLD)

Describes community-connected learning, an approach where community members become teachers and mentors in their local schools. Highlights include examples of projects; use of technology, including the Web; project-based curriculum; understanding the importance of community-responsive organizations and volunteerism; internships at local…

One university, in partnership with educational, business, and community agencies, established an early literacy and learning model to improve literacy among at-risk young children. The initiative was founded on the concepts of collaborative restructuring, reading research, high-performance learning environments, and family involvement. It has…

Describes the Teacher Education Initiative (TEI) longitudinal study of seven restructuring partnerships, discussing three themes that emerged from the cross-site analysis: the TEI's nine principles are guiding the practices of the professional partnerships; restructuring has affected schools more significantly than universities; and professional…

George Mason University, Virginia, prepares teachers through a professional development school model, which empowers teachers to assume leadership roles as clinical faculty and site coordinators. Classroom teachers and the former Director of Teacher Education describe the effects of teachers' experiences as teacher educators on their roles within…

Discusses the efficiency of the University of Southern Maine's Extended Teacher Education Program (ETEP) in promoting teachers as learners, teaching for learning, and learning to change. Results from longitudinal surveys of program participants indicated that stakeholders considered the strongest dimension of the ETEP to be teaching as a learning…

Describes the Greenhouse Project, a joint effort to reintroduce medicinal plants to the Blackfeet Indian population in Montana. Reports that Wilbert Fish, son of a prominent tribal healer, and his staff produce more than 5,000 species of plants, both for medicinal purposes and for restoration projects in Glacier National Park. (NB)

Using a cooperative learning approach with a twist, special needs students were paired with classroom teachers. Each person in each team of two developed functional word processing skills. Through the shared process, teachers and students learned more than the use of a computer program: they came to rely on one another for solutions and…