Noting that young children in poverty face a greater likelihood of impaired development because of their increased exposure to a number of risk factors associated with poverty, this report presents statistical information on the incidence of poverty during early childhood. The report notes that the poverty rate for U.S. children under age 3…

This paper describes systemic thinking in support of the recently established Navajo Nation Rural Systemic Initiative (RSI). The RSI aims to create a standards-based student-centered teaching and learning environment in mathematics, science, and technology in the 173 elementary and secondary schools on or near the Navajo Nation, including public,…

This annual report analyzes the quality of academic standards in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico and monitors the extent to which those standards are driving education reform. The report describes criteria used to evaluate state standards and provides commentary on each state's standards, highlighting areas of strength and…

In 1995, Georgia became the first U.S. state to provide universal prekindergarten to 4 year olds. Although the lottery-funded program has received more attention from policymakers than any other program, there has been no systematic effort to chronicle the program's evolution or to draw lessons from its experience. This report illustrates the…

This book is part of a series of case studies that demonstrate better ways to educate Ohio's students. The case study is part of the Transforming Learning Communities (TLC) Project, designed to support significant school-reform efforts among Ohio's elementary, middle, and high schools. This report describes the implementation of an innovative…

This book is part of a series of case studies that demonstrate better ways to educate Ohio's students. The case study is part of the Transforming Learning Communities (TLC) Project, designed to support significant school-reform efforts among Ohio's elementary, middle, and high schools. This report discusses an innovative program at an elementary…

This document describes the principles in a learning college, opportunities to create learning colleges, and key factors in molding an institution into a learning college. The principles state that a learning college: 1) creates substantive change in individual learners; 2) engages learners in the learning process as full partners who must assume…

This book is part of the research program, International Study of Higher Education Reform, which compares the processes and impact of higher education reforms in England, Norway, and Sweden and describes changes and continuity in the higher education system in Sweden during the 1990s. Part 1 sets the stage with chapters titled: "Transforming…

A key objective of the Pathways to College Network is to disseminate effective, research-based practices and policies that address access and managing college costs. As part of its effort to inform parents, families, students, and policymakers, it has compiled here a few of the key principles and strategies that underlay a well-focused financial…

Educational reformers tend to see teachers as passive consumers of innovations, while teachers view themselves as powerful, active, and autonomous in the classroom. Reform efforts have created the conditions for a power struggle over curriculum implementation. Future efforts must take into account these power relationships. (PP)

Discusses the rapid accumulation of microcomputers in elementary schools and the development of teacher-training programs to promote wise implementation and to prepare a foundation for curriculum change. In particular, it describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of an inservice program developed by the United Nations International…

The report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education, "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform," is criticized for overemphasizing human resource needs and economic utility at the expense of intellectual, moral, and spiritual learnings. Other perspectives on reform in the schools and in teacher education are…

Based on a model of local curriculum development, but incorporating the ideas first expressed by Goodlad in establishing a league of co-operating schools for the improvement of learning, this curriculum development project successfully infused the study of technology into the science courses of several British secondary schools. (RM)

A holistic approach to helping teachers cope with burnout and stress necessitates dealing with problems on several fronts simultaneously. Strategies for changing negative attitudes, understanding reasons for tensions, learning to relax, and increasing job satisfaction and self-esteem are outlined. (PP)

A survey of institutions and the literature support the idea that costs affect faculty development, recordkeeping and other costs, and student retention. Systematic approaches to calendar change are recommended including the four-one-four calendar. (MSE)