Drexel University (Pennsylvania) will overhaul its first- and second-year curricula by using extensive team teaching, designing interdisciplinary courses, introducing students to their majors earlier, and having students work in small groups. A pilot program in engineering has been successful. Goals are to improve education and boost retention.…

Superintendents, a principal, a teacher, and representatives of the National Education Association describe how they are attempting to resolve the question of establishing parameters in shared decision-making programs. Also lists 12 principles necessary for effective decision making to commence and 12 effective practices in shared decision making.…

Presents a Russian perspective on patent rights in pedagogic studies. The paper notes that patents and licenses are profitable for the author, firm, and state and questions why teachers are not involved in the process. It also describes a center for pedagogical innovations in the USSR. (SM)

A survey of 20 colleges and universities gathered information about programs that prepare teachers of visually impaired children. The survey focused on program faculty, students, funding sources, courses, practicum placements, interest in national standards, and innovative programs. Most responses indicated a high level of consistency across the…

Recently, governments have become interested in assessment as a key mechanism for monitoring and intervening in the educational process. Problems in implementing new approaches to assessment in the context of national testing and evidence from a new national test are illustrated through the National Assessment of England and Wales. (SLD)

Describes three music education programs in which collaboration among independent agencies is significant. Includes suggestions for replicating these activities. (CFR)

Examines six dilemmas endemic to teacher education: coverage versus mastery emphases; evaluative versus affective emphases; emphasis on current versus future needs of candidates; thematic versus eclectic approaches; emphasis on current practices versus innovative practice; and specific versus global assessment criteria. (SM)

Describes the development of strategies and software to help people work collaboratively while at a distance from one another. The importance of collaborative activities, the shared spaces concept behind groupware, examples of software that support synchronous and asynchronous group activities, and design issues for educational groupware are…

Development and use of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) and its instruments in the Netherlands, Flanders (Belgium), and the United Kingdom are reviewed, with emphasis on the validity of the developmental theory behind it. The CBAM appears to make it possible to offer schools assistance in dealing with change. (SLD)

Recent reports urging educational reform have challenged education to link its various levels and sectors and promote scholarship among all teachers. Increasingly, schools and communities are experimenting with programs that bridge the educational sectors, joining high school and college faculty in an enriching academic experience. (MSE)

Describes innovative student teaching programs, noting assumptions about power, knowledge, and language of teaching. The paper discusses contrasting relationships (consonance, critical dissonance, and collaborative resonance), arguing that programs based on collaborative university-school relationships provide unique learning opportunities. The…

Presents an experimental secondary school curriculum as drafted by the Soviet Union's Ministry of Education in 1987. Intended for implementation (after modifications) by the year 2000, as part of perestroika and educational reform. Examines the curriculum's rationale. Lists school subjects, indicating number of hours and grades in which they…

The Head Start community has recognized that the mental health program has been a weak spot in the program's comprehensive services strategy. A brief telephone survey of 101 programs identified the services most desired and resulted in recommendations for strengthening this aspect and making the program a laboratory for innovative practices. (SLD)

In response to Alberta's Educational Quality Indicators initiative, Fort McMurray Catholic Schools implemented outcome-based mathematics instruction in 30 classrooms, grades 2-10. Collaborative planning and implementation of outcome-based education principles led to improvements in student achievement, attitudes, and responsibility. (SV)

Presents findings about sources of influences on Cypriot primary school teachers. Reveals six relatively homogenous groups of teachers according to perceived influences on their practice. Argues that the notion of a coherent set of teachers' attitudes toward change is problematic and has implications for curriculum reform policies. (DSK)