This book provides educators and other interested readers with an overview of the most recent developments and changes in the field of gender and mathematics. The overview is grounded in a model for understanding how change occurs. The model, developed by P. McIntosh (1983), arose from the examination of efforts in North America to liberate…

The history of technology use in adult literacy programs was reviewed, and attitudes enhancing and limiting the use of technology were examined. Among the key findings of the analysis were the following: (1) the value of technology for literacy instruction is based on its provision of privacy, individual control, immediate feedback, and…

This paper begins with an overview of the legislation shaping early intervention in the United States. A review of recent theoretical developments in working with families and children, cultural perspectives, language, communication and education of deaf individuals, and early childhood practices reveals marked contrasts between traditional and…

The prevailing issues in the development of family literacy were reviewed, and assumptions about families, family support, and learning upon which the concept is being developed were examined. A total of 173 studies on the following topics were reviewed: parent-child relationships and reading, parent-child early reading, parent/family beliefs and…

A project in collaborative teacher-based research was undertaken at Madison Area Technical College in Wisconsin as a background study for eventual implementation of teacher research in the Adult Basic Education (ABE) classroom. Personnel involved included an individual who served as both a director and consultant and five part-time teachers. The…

This chapter explores the possibilities of an experiential curriculum, and summarizes common elements and dilemmas of practice. The nature of experiential education is not so much a matter of definition as of seeing what teachers and students actually do. Mechanical models of experiential education are useful because they are simple and can serve…

Since risk suffuses human life and trust helps breaks the paralysis of dealing with risk, a philosophy of education must account for the relationship between risk and trust. Keith Lehrer (in progress) has developed a philosophy that seeks to prepare students for knowing as human beings actually know things, suggesting that knowledge is a matter of…

This paper reviews the education of students with mental retardation in the United States and offers recommendations to improve their instruction. It begins by discussing the American Association on Mental Retardation's definition of mental retardation and incidence/prevalence data. Disagreements about the definition and incidence data are noted.…

In contrast to case study, where participants learn vicariously through other peoples' cases, the case story approach invites people to learn through writing and telling about their own experiences as practitioners. This study of school leaders using case stories in university classrooms and in-service leadership academies focused on what is said…

The model school-to-work system creates a foundation in the early grades and continues to build until students complete their studies. In the elementary grades, the major components of students' school-to-work education are career awareness and developing basic skills. Developing career awareness includes creating an environment where students see…

A study used data from the 1996 National Household Education Survey, Youth Civic Involvement component, to determine how students in grades 6-12 were involved in community service activities and how schools might encourage community service participation and integrate it with classroom learning. Some of the results are as follows: (1) about half…

The extent to which Mississippi teachers receive specific training regarding screening for learning disabilities and teaching learning-disabled adults was examined through a mail survey of all 81 of Mississippi's adult education supervisors. Of the 36 supervisors who returned usable questionnaires (a 44% response rate), 5 (13.9%) did not attempt…

The structures of meaning preservice teachers perceived and interpreted as a result of field placements in a methods course and through the use of ethnographic tools were studied in an ethnographic design. The study involved 11 preservice teachers. It described how they shaped each other's thinking about teaching and it examined how ethnographic…

This book describes self-education within community organizations in Cape Town (South Africa) where a primary concern was the promotion of democratic participation. Part I describes the participatory research approach. Part II focuses on the historical contexts in which voluntary associations have developed and the specific theory and practice…

The key to successful establishment of distance education in developing countries seems to be the initial choice of an appropriate model (a model that can be built upon the historical and cultural context, can survive in an environment of limited resources, and will be compatible with the views and ambitions of its political sponsors and clients).…