Researchers are becoming increasingly aware of context variables in interpreting research findings. The Procedures for Adopting Educational Innovations (PAEI) Project at the Texas Research and Development Center for Teacher Education has been attempting to identify and conceptualize important research-based and clinical-based context variables. An…

Presenting a base of general information that local business people and government officials involved with downtown revitalization should be familiar with in order to understand the range of options available and factors that will influence the outcomes of any revitalization program, the paper summarizes current theories, trends, studies, and…

Steps that states, schools, and colleges should take to prepare students to meet higher college standards are identified, with a focus on two points: developing higher and clearer college entry standards and developing statewide assessments to identify high school students who need additional preparation. Eight suggestions are offered: (1) states…

The Wallingford Wellness Project was a 3-year community-based health promotion program for the independent elderly (persons over 54 years of age) which offered education and behavior change training in physical fitness, stress management, nutrition, and environmental awareness and action. The experimental group (N=90) participated in a pretest,…

This document traces the personal growth of teachers through the research literature and interviews and conversations with more than 40 elementary and secondary teachers. Chapter One provides an overview of teachers as artists, suggesting that teaching is a highly refined skill that requires knowledge and practice to master. Chapters Two and Three…

Microcomputers need to be introduced and effectively managed in academic organizations, where compatibility becomes an important issue as users wish to communicate with other users via computer. The need to standardize hardware and software thus becomes an important issue. The first step in selecting a microcomputer standard is the selection of a…

Three major dictionaries designed for learners of English as a second language are reviewed, their elements and approaches compared and evaluated, their usefulness for different learners discussed, and recommendations for future dictionary improvement made. The dictionaries in question are the "Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary," the…

Linguistic and paralinguistic problems faced by non-native-English speakers training to be teachers of English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) in non-English-speaking environments are discussed. Relevant theories of second language learning and acquisition are reviewed, and the affective factors and sociocultural variables that appear to…

Arrangements in educational institutions for voluntary early retirement programs are discussed. Retirement at any age can be a profound and stressful lifetime change; and it can also represent a welcome transition into newly satisfying and rewarding opportunities. The focus is on: mandatory retirement (exceptions and the new meaning of "early");…

As a member of the Frankfurt School of critical theory, Herbert Marcuse believed that industrial capitalism and the bureaucratization of society stripped humans of any claims to autonomy and undermined their critical expression with a functional language. However, Marcuse did no more than point an inchoate ideological finger at the production side…

Using the book "Mindstorms--Children, Computers and Powerful Ideas" as a reference point, this paper deals with the sociological challenges raised by Seymour Papert and explores such issues as the role of computers as carriers of powerful ideas and the seeds of cultural change. Recent studies are cited indicating that although the…

A futurist addresses two questions concerning world peace and the implications of using robots. In the section on peace (part 1), recommendations for world peace include: (1) implementing peace education as a mandatory part of education; (2) establishing a Department of Peace in each country to create a societal infrastructure for implementing…

Two models for changing existing international organizations into effective instruments of world governance are presented. The first model revises the present Charter of the United Nations; the second calls for a new world security and development organization which would supplement the existing machinery of the United Nations for peacekeeping,…

The progress of a group of student teachers who used action research techniques in their student teaching experience was studied. Action research is designed to yield practical results that are immediately applicable to a specific situation or problem. Action research strategies were used by student teachers to identify and find effective ways of…

Actions which state boards of education can take to promote the improvement of K-12 public education are presented in this brochure. The brochure is one of a series which offers specific ways in which different interest groups can respond to the eight broad action recommendations proposed by the Education Commission of the States' Task Force on…