Describes a qualitative research study that analyzed the impact and effectiveness of a kindergarten through grade-three mathematics distance education course on Spanish- and English-speaking children, parents, and teachers. Implications for curriculum, implementation of innovation, costs, media, and school effectiveness are discussed. (LRW)

Describes the New American Schools effort of the New American Schools Development Corporation, a private corporation underwriting development of new educational institutions and the dissemination of innovative ideas. A random sampling of ideas from competing design teams highlights nine program proposals. (SLD)

Describes the use of DIALOG and Classmate by students at McDowell High School (Texas). Requirements for accessing DIALOG are explained; methods of teaching using DIALOG are described, including planning search strategy and the use of small groups; and problems are reviewed, including supervision time, cost, and limited accessibility. (three…

Responds to a college student's criticism of a professor's grading policies and teaching methods, considering political correctness and the meaning of grades. An underlying concern is the issue of the teacher's homosexuality. Argues that the student's letter is symptomatic of the college's attempt to suppress oppositional pedagogy. (SLD)

Describes Thinking Mathematics, a research-based approach to teaching mathematics. Value is placed on thinking and communicating mathematically and using what is known to find the unknown. The program requires teachers to rethink their beliefs and assumptions about teaching and learning mathematics. Examples of program implementation are given.…

An overview of the evolution of the innovative University of California, Santa Cruz, looks at its origins, campus organization, curriculum and instructional philosophy, campus design, leadership and faculty, student population, campus life, and curriculum design. Strategies for and obstacles to effective change are highlighted. (MSE)

Describes undergraduate projects at Harvey Mudd College (California) that use advanced laboratory equipment and procedures normally reserved for graduate students. Examples are given in experimental biology (e.g., digital imaging and DNA analysis), in physics (e.g., using satellites to study earthquake faults), and in mathematics (e.g., teaching…

Heightened demand for testing is seen as a function of public skepticism regarding the quality of public education. Discusses developments and trends in the following areas: (1) minimum competency testing versus higher order skills testing; (2) kindergarten and first grade readiness testing; (3) portfolio-based assessment; and (4) teacher…

Analyzes educational practitioners' responses to the fundamental reforms proposed in President Bush's America 2000 educational reform initiatives. Considers national support for and resistance to three proposal essentials (accountability, choice, and deregulation). Discusses the efforts' possible derailment in favor of headline grabbing…

This article describes the composite thinking and support underpinning the evaluations of initiatives funded by Enterprise Awareness in Teacher Education, a British teacher education program component in which graduates are placed in industrial, commercial, and community contexts to learn about enterprise. Focus is on issues to be addressed before…

Describes the role of technology in teaching foreign languages. Offers a brief history of language lab technologies, including computer use for drill-and-practice, text reconstruction, and simulations and games. Discusses tool programs, intelligent systems, video technology, satellite television, videodisc and interactive video, hypertext and…

Financial and organizational problems in developing professional development schools are described. Structures and processes that allow these schools to contribute to the simultaneous reconstruction of the public schools in which teachers work and university programs in which teachers prepare are identified. (TJH)

Describes a project that was developed to determine the potential of computer-based instruction for meeting the needs of elementary students in small, rural school settings. Highlights include computer-managed instruction; the importance of local context, including administration, parents, and staff; and the impact on student achievement, school…

Highlights instructional implications associated with teaching diverse groups of learners; describes some promising educational practices for meeting the instructional needs of such students; and explores how those within departments, schools, and colleges of education might go about better preparing their future teachers for accommodating such…

This qualitative case study follows unsuccessful efforts of a school social worker and faculty to implement William Glasser's quality-school model in a working-class, suburban middle school. Diminishing the use of competition was the fundamental sticking-point for those opposing the model's implementation. (22 references) (MLH)