Summarizes adult and teacher education research and provides suggestions to design personalized programs for elementary science staff development. Discusses principles of adult education; research on inservice training components; the Concern-Based Adoption Model and teacher change; practical implications for K-6 science teacher workshops; methods…

Implementation of a pyramid model to teach behavior management strategies to the staff of an integrated childcare center found improvements in performance of the three trained "specialists," improvements in other staff trained by the specialists, changes in child behavior, and general satisfaction with the training procedures. (DB)

The Children and Adolescent Pregnancy Project is a Chicago (Illinois) school-based intervention that serves pregnant teens (most either African American or Hispanic) who are either very young or have mild to moderate mental retardation. Outcome data indicate that serving these two groups together is an effective and developmentally appropriate…

Eight preschool and primary school teachers participated in workshops on planning creative dance instruction. Four months after the workshops, all eight were using dance as an educational tool. Reasons for teachers' choice to use dance in the classroom are discussed. (MDM)

This study of interactions between three severely withdrawn, autistic preschool children and six nonhandicapped peers found that peers can be effectively taught strategies to increase appropriate social behaviors of autistic classmates, and a group-oriented reinforcement contingency is an effective complement to teacher-prompted interventions and…

The success of the mandated school desegregation efforts of the Jefferson County (Kentucky) public schools demonstrates the potential of a countywide interdistrict plan relying largely on coercive desegregation techniques. The example contradicts the common assumption that mandated plans result in significant white enrollment losses. (SLD)

The "Thinking Actively in a Social Context" (TASC) project, currently underway with African-American high school pupils and teachers in KwaZulu/Natal schools (South Africa), stresses the systematic development of thinking and problem-solving skills. The program has been very successful with relatively high achieving students but requires…

A training program for faculty supervising pharmacy clinical experience courses included four workshops in setting expectations, motivating learners, providing practice, and evaluating performance and giving feedback. Ten of 35 teaching behaviors changed significantly as a result. Likelihood of change in specific teacher behaviors was assessed.…

The "Bridges...From School to Work" project, funded at five sites by the Marriott Corporation, develops competitively paid internships for students with disabilities in their final year of high school. Of 762 students accepted by the program, 86% received internship placements, 82% completed their internships, and 75% were offered…

Drawing from the experiences of Rio Salado Community College (Arizona) in implementing Total Quality Management, discusses common barriers to change (e.g., time, aversion to change, and pitfalls of change); leadership failure as a cause of failure in TQM implementation; and the importance of constancy of purpose, employee empowerment, and…

Two applications of interdisciplinary problem-based learning at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy are described. In one application, seniors investigate dilemmas resulting from modern advances in science and technology; in the other sophomores study the critical decisions which drove American development. Evidence of program…

A student exchange program in which Italian secondary students of French visited Lyon is described, including the impetus for the trip (a European Community initiative to promote international exchange), the search for an exchange partner institution, program design and planning, the trip itself, and evaluation of the effort. (MSE)

Briefly reviews seven books on the following topics: (1) runaway and homeless youth; (2) drug abuse prevention; (3) issues related to helping children prenatally exposed to drugs and alcohol; (4) lesbians and gay men as foster parents; (5) a multicultural approach to child welfare; (6) keys to successful volunteer programs; and (7) single mothers.…

Forty-nine families of children with mental retardation (ages 2-11) were assessed before and after a parent training program. Parents showed small but significant decreases in reports of depression, parent and family problems, overall family stress, and dissatisfaction with the family's adaptability. Family characteristics were predictive of…

Presents findings from a survey of two-year colleges with nontraditional economic development programs. Focuses on factors associated with success, program independence from traditional college structure, faculty inclusion/exclusion, labor/management relations, administrative structures, and unrealistic expectations. Considers the emerging role of…