Studied the credit hour as a measure of faculty workload through interviews with administrators at several public and private colleges and universities. The credit hour metric did not appear to be stifling innovation, although at some public campuses those regulations made innovation more difficult. (SLD)

Reviews current secondary school reform efforts and their impact on students with disabilities. Examines the compatibility of activities within general and special education and highlights the efforts of one school, which has undertaken substantial reform that encompasses concerns about quality education for all students. (Author/CR)

Reviews challenges to evaluation that are presented by integrated school-based services. Describes field-based evaluation approaches designed to yield valid and useful information about such programs. Calls for multistage evaluation approaches which includes qualitative and quantitative and process and outcome evaluations. Places emphasis on…

Reports on the experiences of a Fort Collins (Colorado) elementary school that uses the Core Knowledge Curriculum (CKC). It explains how CKC promotes educational quality by eliminating curriculum gaps, legitimizing the grading system to reflect achievement, and building on previously learned material. E. D. Hirsch's book "Cultural…

Discusses three different writing assignments used in calculus courses. The assignments represent personal, informational, and blended purposes. (Author/MM)

Vocational education and training (VET) teachers in Australian secondary schools (n=11) identified the following influences on adoption of National Training Packages: ways in which teachers construct meaning for innovations, organizational culture, infrastructure, leadership, and policy. More time, training, and a coordinator helped embed and…

Describes 16-week intergenerational computer tutoring program in two replacement language-arts classes called Ambassadors of the Computer Age. Special-needs middle-school students improved their language-arts skills while teaching older adults how to use computer technology. (PKP)

Reports that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) joined forces to develop the UNL/NCA School Improvement Program. States that the program prepares school leaders to facilitate a quality improvement process through a four-course sequence. (NB)

Use of fictional or "virtual" families in problem-based learning scenarios was assessed by 17 first-year and 14 third-year nursing students. Virtual families enabled longitudinal study of health care and family dynamics, a holistic approach, and integration of learning across the curriculum. (Contains 20 references.) (SK)

Describes a group of teachers who worked with multigenre possibilities as an alternative to traditional research papers, while trying to teach some principles of research. Details how the students were offered three options: a screenplay, a multi-genre paper, or a monologue. Outlines the successes and failures of each project. (PM)

Details a survey study examining the operation of 29 Montessori charter schools in 9 states. Reports findings related to the school population, founding and governance, funding, facilities, mission, special features of the program, student achievement, primary benefits or advantages, constraints or problems, and assistance the programs would like…

The problems of education stem from system design, not faulty operation. Traditional education is based on autocratic principles, or order without freedom. The innovative Individual Education design, based on democratic principles, gives students control over their own learning and promotes the development of responsibility, respect,…

The third book of a trilogy dealing with innovation in a suburban midwest school district is reviewed. The district underwent rapid transition following World War II. Although methodological limits are identified, the book is declared a contribution to the documentation on the evolution of a school district. (TJH)

Discussion of educational innovations and their implementation highlights a study of school principals in Washington State that was conducted to determine whether the microcomputer is similar or fundamentally different to other educational innovations. Attitudes toward the educational use of microcomputers were examined as well as relationships…

The article describes ways to nurture gifted students without shortchanging the rest of the class. Curriculum compacting techniques allow teachers to plan for students with similar capabilities, determining which skills are already known, which need work, and what acceleration activities should be added. (SM)