The Middle School Initiative, an ambitious plan to convert all New York City junior high schools to middle schools, faced numerous obstacles: loss of leadership support, teacher cynicism and resistance, blindness to difficulties, union regulations, pressures for quick results, administrator retirement incentives, and collaboration problems. (MLH)

Mentoring programs that pair experienced and first-time teachers are gaining prominence in supporting, developing, and retaining new teachers. The successful Beginning Teacher Assistance program at University of Wisconsin-River Falls was designed to give new K-12 teachers the opportunity for yearlong, structured support from mentor teachers. (MLH)

Provides an overview of a session that planned to discuss selected information policy issues that affect the management of and access to Federal Websites, including agencies' development and use of Web-based services; needs for improvement; implementation issues; and issues that affect the delivery of Web-based services to the public. Panelists…

Discussion of the development and use of Web-based instruction in higher education focuses on issues of course content; technological assumptions; logistical and implementation challenges; interfacing between face-to-face and online learning environments; and the use of a Web-based course management tool to support face-to-face instruction. (LRW)

Considers the cooperative nature of the implementation of arts education in the Saskatchewan schools. Provides information on the beginning of arts education in Saskatchewan. Discusses the components of the arts education curriculum, the evaluation of the curriculum, and the successes and challenges throughout the process of implementing arts…

Focuses on some of the ways in which literacy program participants from immigrant cultures take up the literacy information and procedures offered to them by their host culture. Demonstrates ways in which institutional responses to nontraditional forms of literacy can be accurately identified and program implementation effectively modified to…

"SET (Science, Engineering, and Technology) for the Future," a research/action project at Scotland's Heriot-Watt University, surveyed SET students' education experience, compared information with previous research, and used results to modify two SET modules to increase the participation of women students and improve their experiences.…

This article addresses the ongoing need to access the power of self-determination. A definition of self-determination is provided, along with a description of key components. Examples are provided for implementing effective self-determination skills though the use of a case study, an action plan, and list of best practices. (Contains references.)…

The nation's school boards, as currently constituted and empowered, underlie most school governance problems. The superintendent frequently must sidestep the board in order to move the district forward. The experts (administrators) take marching orders from an educational laity. Superintendents should be intermediaries; principals need full…

Discusses the groundwork and establishment of credibility needed to start a creative writing program: (1) writing, publishing, and involvement in the writing community; (2) designing courses that fit a variety of student needs and being prepared to teach evening classes; and (3) promoting the program. (VWC)

Accommodations are test-administration changes that do not change the underlying construct being measured. The Individuals with Disabilities legislation and regulations provide little guidance on implementing assessment accommodations for students with learning disabilities. Certain research-based checklists or rating scales help link…

A Minnesota study showed that changing school starting times to accommodate adolescent sleep patterns profoundly affected many families. Implementation processes substantially influenced how families received changes. Policy makers should inform and involve all stakeholders, allow ample time, provide research-based justifications, support…

Argues that shortcomings in program implementation and evaluation contributed to failure to demonstrate effectiveness of the Comprehensive Child Development Program (CCDP). Articulates lessons from the CCDP, including addressing roles of demonstration projects and their evaluations, problems in evaluation early in program implementation, the…

Studied the organizational issues that arose in the implementation of portfolio assessment in 11 eighth and ninth grade classrooms in Ontario, Canada during the field trial of a generic content selection framework. Results suggest the formulation of three sets of research hypotheses related to organizational issues in the portfolio implementation…

Surveys experiences of 101 primary school teachers of the newly introduced Literacy Hour--about the training and preparation they had received, the implementation of the Literacy Hour, its effectiveness and how children with special difficulties are differentially affected. Reports on other aspects of the Literacy Hour, such as ability…