Most recent initiatives to improve teaching may be characterized as top-down, compliance-oriented policies that seek to increase accountability and regulate different aspects of the profession. Little regard has been paid to the development of assistance programs at the state level that aim at building capacity among teachers and local school…

For education to respond to the new technologies that offer tools for mind expansion, the concept of information itself must be redefined. Instruction via electronic sources is a very different way of learning than instruction by print: electronic instruction is highly interactive, under the user's control, and full of imagery. Imagery is the…

Innovation in elementary education was the focus of a 5-year project of the 24 member States of the Council for Cultural Co-operation of the Council of Europe. Concerning 5-through-6-year-olds and 11-through-12-year-olds and representing the first sustained effort undertaken by the Council of Europe in the field of elementary education, the…

Skill requirements for the economy are changing. Whereas many jobs in industries such as insurance and banking once required high school graduates to do clerical work, computerization has changed the requirements. Job functions are combined, and many jobs now require college graduates to do analytical work. Although these skill changes require…

In order to facilitate the transition to a multiracial community and to meet the prevailing desire for academic excellence, magnet schools have arisen in urban areas throughout the country. These schools meet racial quotas through voluntary enrollment and open access, promote integration through cooperative learning practices, emphasize personal…

The results of several studies of the humanities and social sciences in undergraduate engineering education are presented and discussed. The first chapter explains the value of humanities and social sciences coursework and describes briefly some of the obstacles confronting efforts to improve it. The second chapter summarizes the findings of two…

The Carnegie Foundation recently completed a comprehensive survey of more than 20,000 teachers in all 50 states about their involvement in shaping classroom and school policy. The report consists of a brief introductory analysis of the survey by foundation president Ernest L. Boyer, followed by 10 tables presenting, for each state, the percentages…

The master's degree is reviewed in terms of its current status and rate of conferral, its diversity, standards, and the dominant program models. Changes in the patterns of master's degrees conferred, by discipline, are examined, and problems associated with the proliferation of degrees are noted. Diversity in curricular models is cited as a source…

In order to contribute to the refinement of methods for assessing the adequacy of program implementation, this study investigated data collection efforts made during the implementation of ALERTA, a bilingual, multicultural preschool curriculum model. Comparisons of results are made with those of previously conducted studies of program…

An evaluation of the Maryland Day Care Voucher Demonstration was conducted after approximately 6 months of voucher use in two counties, one a small rural setting and the other a much larger suburban area. Findings were derived primarily from a mail survey of the staff, provider, and client populations in the two counties. A total of 14 staff, 279…

This study undertook to discover why educational consultancy has not been more successful in implementing new educational programs and practices. It sought to identify differences in perceptions of superintendents, principals, consultants, and teachers with regard to teachers' need for consultant services and the factors, organizational and…

The major thesis of this paper is that black colleges and universities are fundamental parts of the overall American society, which is fraught with change, oppression, chaos, and post-industrial problems; therefore, it contends, the survival of these minority institutions depends upon their keeping pace with today's technological trends. Based on…

The emerging "Managerial Estate," based as it is on knowledge, services, science, and technology, with built-in theories of expendability for people considered obsolete, will increasingly force Afro-Americans and historically-black institutions of higher learning to emphasize self-reliance and self determination. Moreover, urban public schools…

Elementary and secondary school teachers and school administrators often say they get their information about educational practice from colleagues and from inservice meetings. Research, however, suggests that teachers seldom talk shop with their colleagues. This leaves professional journals as the clearest channel of communication about…

Maryland's decade of experience in providing programs for gifted and talented students indicates that response to the needs of such students has been strongest when federal, state, and local policy and financial commitments were complementary. The notion that federal financial support is not necessary and may even be counterproductive is…