This study examined three teams of teachers at three high schools (in a relatively large midwestern school district) as they designed and implemented a teaming project for interdisciplinary teaching entitled the Partners Program. The study focused on two findings related to the demise of this innovation: misconceptions by participating teachers…

A cognitive demands analysis of a learning technology, a term that includes the hardware and the computer software products that form learning environments, attempts to describe the types of cognitive learning expected of the individual by the technology. This paper explores the context of cognitive learning, suggesting five families of cognitive…

This paper provides a national perspective on special education finance and related reform issues and proposals, with emphasis on those of particular relevance for the state of New York. It also looks specifically at the current New York funding system as it pertains to students with disabilities and concludes with several observations. First, the…

This book offers recommendations for those who seek to transform their school into a professional learning community as characterized by an environment fostering mutual cooperation, emotional support, personal growth, and a synergy of efforts. References to and brief summaries of standards for curriculum, teacher preparation, school leadership,…

Based on the assertion that significant school restructuring depends on the maximization of student cognitive development, this paper examines emerging patterns of change in restructuring schools at the school and classroom levels. The first part defines school restructuring and explains the premise of student cognitive development. The second…

The middle-level education initiative described in this document outlines an innovative program to assist New Mexico school districts in addressing the needs of early adolescents. Findings and recommendations that underscore the need for middle-level educational reform in New Mexico's schools are presented in this report. The state is a recipient…

Findings of a study that examined middle-level school practices and the educational needs of Illinois youth aged 10-14 are presented in this report. A questionnaire mailed to all junior high/middle schools (576 schools) and K-8 schools in Illinois (705 schools) elicited response rates of 75 and 42 percent, respectively, or a total of 774 usable…

This report describes the collaboration of a teacher educator at Michigan State University and two experienced elementary school teachers who spent 3 years team teaching an integrated curriculum that they developed for their third grade students. Four themes are most indicative of the teachers' experiences with the difficulties and rewards of…

This paper explains the reasons Empire State College decided to develop a new International Business program using an experiential-learning format, discusses details of the program and how it was organized and implemented in several versions, and makes suggestions about the development of other variations and about how to resolve certain problems…

This paper addresses the problem of how school environments can be restructured to address the key requisites of cognitive development for all children. Following the problem statement, the second section discusses the historic concerns related to restructuring and the research underlying them--the roots of the cognitive revolution, the…

Educational visions developed by two participants in the Education 2000 project--Redwood Falls, Minnesota, and Yonkers, New York--are described in this paper. An overview of the blueprints that are being developed from these visions is provided as well as a description of the design process. The Education 2000 process offers a new design for…

Programs for disadvantaged gifted students require teachers with a number of positive characteristics and a relevant curriculum. The New Challenge Program created by the University of Texas Pan-American College of Education is a Saturday morning enrichment program for disadvantaged gifted children. Students select from classes such as Basic and…

Kentucky is one of 27 states selected to participate in Carnegie's grant-sponsored Middle Grade Schools State Policy Initiative. This publication offers a blueprint for change in Kentucky's middle grades. Data were collected through surveys of: (1) a total of 214 administrators, 909 teachers, 878 parents, and 1,047 students at 228 Kentucky…

This book is a preliminary report on a technology innovation project. The objective of the overall research project is to introduce change in schools using a computer-based curriculum innovation for teaching higher order thinking skills to middle- and high-school students. Chapter 1 presents a historical account of the design and implementation of…

Comprehensive school health education is a primary prevention strategy for teaching the nation's children and their parents the skills needed for a healthy lifestyle. This publication provides information about the U.S. Department of Education's Comprehensive School Health Education Program (CSHEP) and presents four papers commissioned for the…