This issue of "The Electronic School" features a special forum on computer networking. Articles specifically focus on network operating systems, cabling requirements, and network architecture. Tom Wall argues that virtual reality is not yet ready for classroom use. B.J. Novitsky profiles two high schools experimenting with CD-ROM…

Benchmark, a private school for students ages 5-15 in Media, Pennsylvania, enrolls bright underachievers with reading problems in small classes. The school brings educational research into the classroom via weekly seminars on current research, staff research projects, and collaboration with outside scholars. The school's record indicates it…

Describes five educational restructuring projects that have been taking place in the Alhambra School District in California. Includes descriptions of literature instruction, multimedia research in high school social science, notebook computers and high school at-risk students, LogoWriter for grades 7-8, and interactive video for fourth graders.…

During 1990-91, Michigan schools piloted an innovative portfolio approach enabling students to discover, document, and develop employability skills in academics, personal management, and teamwork. Not an improved sorting system, the project encourages students to recognize successes, seek opportunities to improve skills, and gain confidence in…

Describes a study of variance in the innovative activities of 15 Canadian community colleges and the correlation between organizational characteristics and institutional innovativeness. Innovativeness varied among institutions, and an inverse relationship existed between centralized authority and innovation. Findings regarding innovation in the…

Schools and their communities in Dallas (Texas) develop and implement a comprehensive plan to improve student achievement, provide training for staff members, and evaluate and modify the program as it progresses. The goal is to bring the whole school and community together to create a climate that helps children achieve. (MLF)

Traditional instruction employs text/talk vehicle focused on basic literacy, with little effort to engage students in information literacy, or accessing, analyzing, synthesizing, applying, and creating information with electronic media. This article provides Information Age Teaching-Learning Audit to help principals assess their schools' progress…

Provides a comparative overview of the developmental characteristics and needs of adolescents according to (1) the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development's report "Turning Points"; (2) Gayle Dorman's "Planning Programs for Young Adolescents"; (3) Maria Montessori's "From Childhood to Adolescence" and Margaret E.…

Better budgeting, better forecasting, and new revenue sources will not eliminate the strains on postsecondary education today. Forces driving this situation include the trend toward part-time and lower-division learners, low graduation rates of low-income students, and failure to meet student needs. Development of "adult-friendly" colleges and…

Discussion of instructional systems design (ISD) focuses on reasons why ISD has not been widely accepted by public schools. Topics discussed include educational innovation; the role of the teacher in educational change; teachers' needs and attitudes; educational theories; and modifications to ISD that could make it more acceptable to teachers. (34…

Experiences of various schools in implementing Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences demonstrate that learning about innovation should be a regular, natural part of schools; barriers between insiders and outsiders should be eliminated; teachers should be prepared as change agents; and the value of academic research should be reconsidered. (SK)

A survey and observations of 18 Montreal teachers attempting to integrate computers into the prescribed elementary school curriculum examined inservice training, resources, organization and scheduling of the computer laboratory, laboratory use and activities, and teacher and student reactions. Overall, the teachers were pleased with the…

Suggests that educating all students entails going beyond seeking ways to enable marginalized students to engage in present educational forms. An education for homeless and minority children involves rethinking foundational assumptions about the nature of the disciplines, the purposes of education, and the role of teachers. Respecting diversity…

Describes a new concept for business education at Mercer County Community College called the International Business Practice Firm (IBPF), developed in response to employer calls for a more global approach in teaching American business students. Outlines the IBPF learning process, which teaches students business, technology, and "soft"…

Describes research projects in four experimental schools in Osijek, Croatia, that were interrupted by war. Pilot projects featured lectureless classes, independent study, increases in learning activities, and alterations in school surroundings. In all the experimental schools, significant changes occurred, but academic achievement results were…