There were several changes in the laboratory teaching program in the Biological Sciences at Florida International University (FIU) between 1993-1994. The underlying goal was the improvement of the amount of material learned and retained by the student, but these changes showed little positive improvement. It was deemed necessary for FIU to…

At San Diego Mesa College, we found that too many of our faculty were unaware of the wide variety of resources and services we provide, or how to integrate them into their programs. To remedy this, familiarize them with the LRC building, and provide hands-on experience with some of the materials we have, I presented a two-hour staff development…

The authors report on a national survey of administrators and program specialists at 43 state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies concerning the impact of federal employment legislation and rehabilitation policies on the provision of services to consumers who are deaf or hard of hearing. The article focuses on 5 initiatives enacted to enhance…

This paper reports an investigation of the factors that educational psychologists in training (EPiTs) look for when applying for jobs in educational psychology services. Relevant literature on "job attraction" is reviewed and a three-stage research process employed. This involved a focus group approach to questionnaire generation…

While the recession has slowed the overall growth of the "for profit"' child care sector, many new players are entering this arena bringing fresh perspectives and new energy. To glean some insight into how these new players view prospects for that sector, two of the new leaders, Tom Heymann and Gary Graves were interviewed. Heymann was appointed…

Organizations and institutions often measure progress in concrete facts, such as how many structures they have and how high they are. Osborne High School in Marietta, Georgia, measures its success by how many walls it can tear down. Staff members see walls as limiting and, perhaps more important, as objects that allow people to make excuses for…

Well-educated, charismatic leaders who can improve systems to enrich the lives of others are needed today more than ever. In this updated edition, John Hoyle identifies vision, motivation, flexibility, and openness to invention and opportunity as key characteristics of effective leaders, and challenges school administrators to think outside the…

Many students with disabilities require testing accommodations in order to participate in testing programs on an equal basis with their nondisabled peers. Such accommodations provide students with the ability to demonstrate mastery of skills and attainment of knowledge without being limited or unfairly restricted due to the effects of a…

This article introduces a strategic argument and examples, in subsequent articles in this special issue, about sociocultural research opportunities for HPT practitioners and scholars. The authors take the view that recent criticisms of Instructional Systems Design have merit when considered from an organizational performance point of view. We see…

This article explores the role of heads of department in a small sample of secondary schools in the People's Republic of China. The research which underpins the article consisted of data collected from school teachers and headteachers of the case study schools. The outcome was that there is a large gap between how middle managers perceive their…

These authors, who have managed a small, entrepreneurial applied-research firm for more than twenty years, share their reflections about what elements of organizational structure have worked best for them, and offer some observations on a personal level as well about how to optimize and remain viable in a volatile professional field. The term…

This paper contains four articles that describe the philosophy and outcomes of the Child Development Project (CDP), developed by the Developmental Studies Center in Oakland, California. The first article--"Giving Content to Restructuring: A Social, Ethical, and Intellectual Agenda for Elementary Education," by Marilyn Watson--describes the CDP and…

In an effort to respond to Vermont teachers' and tutors' need for learning disabilities instruction, the Stern Center for Language and Learning developed a model program to teach adults with learning disabilities. The program included 12 hours of instruction presented over Vermont interactive television to over 100 adult basic education (ABE)…

Project AAPT: Alcohol Abuse Prevention Training was developed in response to the pervasive problem of alcohol abuse by young people. The goals of Project AAPT were to establish, expand, and enhance programs for the training of educational personnel that emphasize the involvement and cooperation of the family, school, and community in alcohol abuse…

Grove College (Pennsylvania) planned and implemented a mobile computing strategy for freshmen. Each member of the class of 1998 was issued a notebook computer upon arrival for freshman orientation. The help desk was staffed and faculty were ready to integrate meaningful computing activities into the curriculum. Students received 2 hours of…