This document presents an instructional unit consisting of lessons designed to heighten second graders' awareness of the dangers of substance use. It is expected that students who complete the unit will be able to differentiate safe and dangerous substances and make wise choices regarding substance use. The unit's major instructional divisions…

This paper examines the claim that instruction specially adapted to the "visual learning styles" of Native American students results in improved learning. Substantial cross-cultural research suggests that Native American children have special strengths in spatial abilities and visual memory and that observational learning is an important…

This curriculum guide to world history studies and honors world history studies in Fort Worth (Texas) schools contains the following materials: a statement of philosophy and broad goals for each content area; objectives organized around broad content goals or strands that define specific expectations for students, prekindergarten through grade 12;…

The future of academic content reforms relies on the relationship between policies and the decisions of teachers. Because the agreement of teachers with district policies is congruent with teacher autonomy, the dichotomy of district control and teacher autonomy is invalid. Districts execute instructional leadership by providing teacher autonomy or…

The purpose of the Teacher Education Improvement Project at Grambling State University (Louisiana) was to document the change processes and products the institution used to improve performance of prospective teachers. The intent was to validate the effectiveness of planned programs of change in five areas: student assessment; faculty development;…

The Systems Approach Model (SAM) is a dynamic approach to planning adult and continuing education that is intended to provide the flexibility, creativity, and meaningfulness necessary to meet the needs and interests of an ever-expanding and ever-aging student population. The SAM model consists of the following dynamically interrelated and…

Work on item response theory was extended to two areas not extensively researched previously, including models for: (1) test items that require more than one ability for a correct response (MIRT); and (2) interaction between modules of instruction that have a hierarchical relationship (HST). In order to develop the MIRT and HST models, the author…

Arguing that there is a current tendency among librarians to talk more about the evaluation of bibliographic instruction than to actually do anything about it, this paper examines limitations of and considerations pertaining to evaluation and includes: (1) a brief discussion of the history of bibliographic instruction; (2) discussion of types of…

There is a risk that some students will progressively slip further behind the pace of instruction across grade levels, particularly in the second through fourth grades. A combination of factors are related to instructional risk: (1) structure of skill development across more than one grade level; (2) organization of textbook lessons that provide…

As part of California's comprehensive program to improve and strengthen its schools by incorporating educational technology into the entire curriculum, funds have been provided to school districts that have developed an educational technology or computer education plan. This guide identifies planning activities and describes steps district…

This chapter describes a model of a faculty development process which is incorporated into an instructional development-media services program at San Jose State University (California). The old Media Services Program is described first, and its reorganization and the integration of instructional development with media services are detailed. An…

The purposes of this national survey of postsecondary occupational education were to investigate (1) the processes of curriculum decision making (who is involved, extent and effectiveness of private sector involvement, responsiveness/flexibility of the process) and (2) student behavior (why they continued their education, why they chose a…

A training manual created by a reference librarian at Kent State University who was responsible for training and supervising graduate library science students for reference work, this handbook is offered as a guide to librarians for developing a training program for preprofessionals or nonprofessionals who work at a library reference desk. The…

This report describes some of the research projects encountered on a 1979 study visit which investigated the nature and availability of computer-based training (CBT) systems in the United States and Canada, particularly within industrial, occupational and military contexts. An overview of the trip itinerary includes the names of the organizations…

A study examined the degree to which certain school phenomena are reported by participants as concerns or activities during their student teaching experience. Particular concerns dealt with included student teachers' problems with curriculum planning, instructional decision making, instructional materials, student assessment and evaluation,…