In the winter of 1994, selected planners and coordinators of Canadian labor-based literacy programs were interviewed regarding the evolution of and concerns surrounding labor-based literacy and/or basic skills programs for union members. It was discovered that the impetus for labor-based literacy programs has generally come from the local and…

This article reports on a study of a new performance-based test mandate in the state of Arizona. The measurement-driven reform provided an opportunity to examine the interplay of policy and practice, specifically the use of testing to effect educational change. Attempts to reform schools through mandating assessments are categorized as behaviorist…

This report documents the content and impact of an in-service program designed to enhance elementary school teachers' competence in narrative writing assessment. The program "Writing What You Read" was designed to help teachers and students make substantive assessments of texts. The program, which focused on a portfolio approach, was conducted…

This is an interpretive summary of information from a multiple case study of 11 school districts in California, Arizona, and Nevada conducted in the spring and fall of 1992 as part of a larger set of strategies to work on solutions to the challenges facing schools in metropolitan areas of the Pacific Southwest. Rather than presenting a set of…

Gathered from practitioners in Washington state, this resource book contains composite lists of volunteer tutor management ideas and practices for teachers of literacy and English as a second language. The guide brings together into one reference work the ideas and resources gathered from 28 programs. The guide is organized around the three major…

The Rochester (New York) School-to-Work Transition Initiative introduces career opportunities and choices to students from prekindergarten through 12th grade and beyond by preparing them for the workplace. The initiative helps students identify their interests and a career direction and enables them to pursue the education and technical training…

Although development and implementation of tech prep education programs have been in progress since the Carl D. Perkins Act Amendments of 1990, several misconceptions about tech prep still exist. One such myth is that tech prep is an integration of academic and vocational education. In truth, although integration of academic and vocational…

This report presents the outcomes of a policy forum convened to address issues of disciplining students with disabilities. Summaries of panel presentations are provided, focusing on legal and policy issues, school/interagency solutions/good practices, and family and community issues. Observations and recommendation of forum workgroups are also…

This paper highlights some emerging trends in rethinking the teacher education practicum in North America. The paper discusses several major obstacles to student teacher learning that persist even in many of the new inquiry-oriented practicums that focus on the development of reflective teaching practice. While teachers praise the value of the…

Vocational training (VT) programs in Latin America prepare workers to perform middle-level occupations or jobs. VT in Latin America is characterized by the existence of solid and autonomous national institutes linked to the logic of economic production, funded through a payroll levy grant, counting on a tripartite board, and related to ministries…

These three videotape recordings focus on provision of inclusive, family-centered programs for children with disabilities, birth through age 8. The first video is 14 minutes long and is titled "ICC Parents Share Their Stories." In it, four parents who serve on state interagency coordinating councils (ICCs) for early intervention share…

Information about good practice in classroom teaching is needed to inform educational planners and practitioners of the development and improvement of curricula and teaching and as a resource for further curriculum reform. This paper, part of a study on teacher effectiveness, reports on classroom research in a Malaysian secondary school 4 years…

The 4MAT system of instructional change is described. The 4MAT system is an eight-step cycle of instruction that capitalizes on individual learning styles and brain-dominance processing preference. Four major learning styles are recognized: (1) imaginative; (2) analytic; (3) common sense; and (4) dynamic. Because in each style there are people…

This paper studied whether or not elementary school classroom teachers in a large urban midwestern school district were able to distinguish appropriate from inappropriate testing practices in a large-scale mandated program. Fifty of 62 teachers and paraprofessionals in 2 elementary schools completed the Teacher Assessment Preparation Practices…

This report documents the current situation in Australia with respect to literacy learning of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Information for the study was obtained in the following ways: literature review; a survey of services offered in Australia (respondents were 90 principals/directors/presidents; 201 service providers; 37…