Competency-based educational programs are here to stay. Here the author describes the program underway in his school system. (Editor/RK)

Presents synopses of five papers presented at a conference of the Science Teachers of Australia. Topics include the technology of wine making, integrated science, individualized science instruction, formal operational thinking, and deep ocean drilling. (MLH)

Open education offers much more flexibility for mainstreaming than the traditional approach; open classrooms are designed to accommodate children in their individuality. Making adaptations is not upsetting to open classrooms. If children must go to special classes, the open school tendency toward community blurs boundaries between special and…

A new idea is catching on fast: instead of giving all students the same classroom time and grading A to F, give each the time and the teaching technique he or she needs to master the subject. (LBH)

Describes Alpha, the experimental college of individualized instruction at the College of DuPage (Illinois). At this college, students design their own curricula and work in an open classroom situation, and teachers start with students instead of subjects. (DC)

Several ways of individualizing instruction in accounting are presented including job instruction sheets, self-paced instruction, programmed instruction, multi-media approach, and the modular concept. (TA)

Discusses why individualization of learning is needed in inner-city schools and describes a study comparing traditional instruction with programed instruction in teaching shorthand to students in selected inner-city high schools in Dallas, Texas. Procedures, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are included. (HD)

Describes an individually-prescribed instructional reading program (for grades one through fourteen) that retains the advantages of peer interaction and increases, rather than decreases, teacher-pupil interaction in a cost-effective framework. (JM)

This paper describes a method of organizing a mathematics department to provide students with a flexible individualized program consisting of core courses and modular electives. The adaptability of the program to both open and traditional schools is discussed, as is evaluation of the program. (SD)

Described is a model for developing and implementing criterion-referenced instructional units. Advice concerning the development of units and tests as well as classroom organization and management are provided. (SD)

Over 750,000 U.S. school-age children are homeless. Schools can eliminate attendance and environmental barriers sabotaging these children's education by becoming communities of learning that provide specialized education for children, contextualized education for parents, and linkages to needed services. The Bronx's Brownstone School, Chicago's…

Studied how Montessori teachers accommodate young children's special needs. Phase one involved interviews and observations of several teachers, and phase two involved an extensive survey of teachers. Found that teachers' perceptions of support and collaboration, use of strategies to nurture independence, and the impact of children with challenging…

Howard Gardner's research explores why some students achieve (test) well, while others struggle. Gardner's ideal school features master teachers and an assessment specialist to provide regular, updated intelligence evaluations of each student's strengths, weaknesses, and inclinations. Curricula would use fresh approaches borrowed from museums and…

Describes techniques for providing individualized library instruction for international students as exemplified by the program at Western Carolina University (North Carolina). Discusses four steps: identifying new students; meeting them and giving written invitations for instruction; interviewing; and giving library tours and instruction tailored…

Michigan allows four different entities to authorize charter schools: state public universities, community colleges, intermediate school districts, and local school districts. To ensure establishment of high-quality standards, Central Michigan University developed a rigorous two-phase chartering process. Charters avoid "best" approaches…