A study was conducted of the construction of meaning related to new roles and relationships initiated by the Supportive Supervision Model, an approach to teacher supervision and evaluation. Results with 22 educators piloting this approach reveal that organizational members construct paradox differently, and the construction of paradox guides…

Recommends the study of architecture as an early introduction to the interdisciplinary study of history, geography, economics, sociology, and art. Maintains that this study can increase interest in local history and citizenship. Profiles pilot programs that have incorporated architecture into social studies instruction. (MJP)

Documents a pilot study of the perceptions of two L1 Xhosa acting students and their teachers about learning to act in L2 English in an L1 English university drama department in South Africa. Seeks to identify perceptions of "good acting," and the degree to which these are contingent on perceptions of "good English" in theatre…

Includes five articles that discuss digital reference in elementary and secondary education; the need to understand the technological environment of digital reference; question negotiation in digital reference; a pilot study that evaluated chat reference service quality; and collaborative digital museum and digital library reference services. (LRW)

Results of a survey of teacher education institutions which participated in a series of pilot accreditation visits by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) provided information on changes that occurred as a result of NCATE's redesigned assessment process and the influence the process had on the institution. (IAH)

Describes a simulation of OCLC's TAPECON retrospective conversion service and its impact on an online catalog in a large university research library. The analysis includes results of Library of Congress Card Numbers, author/title, and title searches, and hit rates based on an analysis of OCLC and locally generated reports. (three references)…

Explains two phases of Tennessee's statewide efforts to strengthen parent-school partnerships. One phase I program is based on Purkey's "Invitational Education" concept aiming to increase parent and community involvement. Phase II models include "Active Parenting,""New Parents as Teachers," and an "Operation…

The TransParent School Model linking telephones with computers enables teachers to communicate daily with parents regarding children's learning activities, homework, and ways for parents to support the child's study at home. Electronic mailboxes can expand the system's message-storing capacity. Includes eight references. (MLH)

Great Britain's General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) is an innovative further education program that is empowering students and outstripping enrollment projections. In 1992-93, GNVQ was piloted in five vocational areas: business, health and social care, leisure and tourism, art and design, and manufacturing. Under GNVQ, assessment by…

The impact of the Employment Action Pilot Project on employable immigrants on welfare in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada), was studied with 24 immigrant clients, 15 single-parent female immigrants, and over 300 comparisons. Significant differences were not found between program and comparison groups. Impacts other than cost-effectiveness are discussed.…

Considers the theoretical issues of portfolio approaches to writing evaluation, especially as related to use in a large-scale setting such as a high school. Focuses on several key issues: standardization of portfolio contents, scoring procedures, the authenticity of student writings, and logistics. Describes a pilot study of the feasibility of…

Compares costs (for instruction, administration, transportation, and staff development) related to inclusive programs in four pilot elementary schools with costs for traditional special education services in nine other elementary schools in the Greater Clark (Indiana) School District. The fiscal analysis found both programs equally cost-effective.…

In 1992, collaborators from the San Marcos and Austin school districts, Southwest Texas State University, a regional education service center, and a telephone company formed the Center for Professional Development and Technology. Their goal was utilizing technology to redesign teacher education within a classroom context. Teachers learn to use…

Explains multimedia information systems (MMIS) and describes a pilot system with automatic content retrieval developed at the Victoria University of Manchester (England). Topics discussed include types of databases; requirements of the Manchester MMIS; system architecture and operation; semantic data and their representation of images; queries;…

Although U.S. Education Secretary Lamar Alexander's strategy includes a track for today's students, emphasis has been on the new generation of schools advocated in the America 2000 plan. This article pleads for concrete steps to improve the education of today's students and recommends a book ("How to Shape Up Our Nation's Schools") to…