This action research paper describes a program initiated by teacher researchers to improve academic achievement and interest in social studies. The targeted group consisted of fifth graders in a lower middle class community in the Midwest. Analysis of the problem-causes data show three main factors: curriculum, attitude, and effect. In regard to…

This report describes Neighbours, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Franklin Park, New Jersey, that offers individualized supports for people with disabilities. In addition to the CEO and the director, the agency employs five advisors. These advisors each work to coordinate support for between five and seven people. Advisors, who typically…

This document presents North Dakota standards and guidelines for planning early childhood special education programs for children with disabilities. The first section offers program guidelines covering eligibility of students, approval of services, the service delivery system, transition, and size of enrollment/caseload. The next section discusses…

This final report discusses the components and outcomes of the RIDE (Reaching Individuals with Disabilities Early) Project, a program that supports the inclusion of young children with disabilities in their school environments, homes, and communities. The core component of the RIDE Model, Students' Success and Inclusion in the Regular Education…

A series of five discussions with more than 50 people involved in the national school-to-work initiative created by the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 (STWOA) resulted in the following conclusions (among others): (1) Problems with the concept include a negative attitude toward the phrase "school-to-work," the complicated nature…

This paper on World Wide Web-based continuing education begins with an overview of the concept of the virtual university and the creation of a community of scholars in the virtual university. The University of California Digital Library is then described, including: the strategic need for libraries to change; attributes of the traditional,…

This guide is designed to assist all libraries, including school, public, academic, and specialized libraries such as prison and institutional libraries, to better serve the needs of people of all ages who are mentally retarded. An overview provides a definition of mental retardation, places services for people with mental retardation in…

Written to help all teachers provide balanced literacy instruction for all students, this book provides strategies and sample lessons for both direct and indirect literacy instruction. Four complete pieces of literature are provided with updated sample lessons: "Jamaica Tag-Along"; "Mummies, Tombs, and Treasure"; "My Brown…

This paper examines how the federal accountability mandates affect the design and implementation of schoolwide programs under Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act. It considers the policies adopted by states and districts to meet the accountability mandates, and it examines, at the school level, how the implementation of an…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) released its first call for proposals for the National Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Education Digital Library (NSDL) program early in 2000. Building on work supported under the multi-agency Digital Libraries Initiative, this program aims to establish a national digital library that will…

Second Step, a research-based violence prevention program for kindergarten through middle school aged children, was implemented in several Jefferson County Public Schools. The objective of Second Step is to increase children's ability to identify with how others are feeling, take others' perspectives, and respond empathetically while decreasing…

This introductory packet provides an overview of what the term "Mental Health in Schools" means. The packet discusses how school-based and school-linked programs have been developed for purposes of early intervention, crisis intervention and prevention, treatment, and promotion of positive social and emotional development. It asserts that…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of Project RIME (Reading Instructional Methods of Efficacy), a 3-year project to develop, field test, and disseminate a model of professional development for early elementary and special education teachers focusing on methods for teaching early reading and spelling to children at risk for…

This paper analyzes the broad context and covers practical applications for delivering distance education in countries of the developing world. It begins by examining market trends in global higher education and continues by reviewing existing distance education activity in developing countries. This is followed by a discussion of the…

This manual assists American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and National Education Association (NEA) affiliates interested in developing peer assistance and/or peer assistance and review programs in their local sites. The first section provides the context in which these programs are developing and their importance to union efforts to increase…