In this case study, we explored an innovative Professional Development (PD) approach where teachers were positioned as experts and drivers of change. Simplified as Participatory PD, Michigan State University Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) Education faculty constructed an experience for Michigan AFNR Educators following the…

We explain in this article the need for board training in rural America irrespective of industry or government sector. We discuss how an assessment of training needs has led to the launch of a new project called the National Board Basics Curriculum (NBBC) project. In this project, we have identified four key core competencies that every board…

Curriculum guidelines for the local development of energy conservation programs in public schools reflect an interdisciplinary educational approach--the result of a coordinated effort by industry, commerce, education, and government agencies concerned with the energy crisis. The scope and nature of the problem, with its implications for education…

A survey was conducted to determine use and perceptions of the Michigan Agriscience and Natural Resources (ANR) Curriculum by Michigan ANR teachers (n=140). Results found that they are teaching a large percentage of the ANR curriculum. (JOW)

The Food Safety Knowledge Network (FSKN) is a collaboration between Michigan State University, the Global Food Safety Initiative of the Consumer Goods Forum, and other food industry and public sector partners. FSKN's goal is to help strengthen the food industry's response to the complex food safety knowledge and training challenges that affect…

Local production, particularly the do-it-yourself vaiety, should be approached from the point of view of a purposeful development process. Such a process has been implemented in the Curriculum Laboratories of the Detroit Public Schools and is outlined in the article. (Author)

This description of career education activities in Coloma, Michigan, was prepared as part of a study conducted to identify evaluated, exemplary career education activities which represent the best of the current career education programs and practices referred to in Public Law 93-380. (See CE 018 212 for the final report of this study.) This…

Environmental education has been incorporated into both the school curriculum and teacher education for vocational agriculture in Michigan. It is, for the most part, not a separate program area but is integrated into production units. The same instructional method for teaching environmental education is followed as for any other topic,…

The Ethnic Heritage Experience, atraining program for educators and other persons who are interested in the development of new curriculum, interpersonal relationships, and increased cultural awareness that may be gained through Ethnic Studies, was developed by the Michigan Ethnic Heritage Studies Center under a Title IX, Ethnic Studies grant, and…

Part of a series on contemporary school reform and special education, this report discusses how states are building capacity for standards-based reform. An introduction describes seven key areas in which states must build classroom and organizational level capacities, including: (1) teachers' knowledge, skills, and dispositions; (2) students'…

What happens when three primary-grade teachers, whose schools are located in Tennessee, Texas, and Michigan, decide to teach a unit of instruction focusing upon the same cultural universal (the human need for shelter) at the same time? How do the teachers use the Internet to share with each other their geographically and socio-economically diverse…

A survey of Michigan's teacher preparation institutions sought to determine the extent of current and projected technology integration in teacher preparation programs. A questionnaire asked about faculty development, curriculum modification, hardware and software acquisition, and resource needs. Results indicated a vast variation in technology…

Three school districts examine cooperatively the implications of extending the academic calendar into the summer months and a tentative future curriculum. The study recommends: (1) a school year composed of five 9-week terms; (2) the introduction of travel- and work-study experiences into the credit structure of existing curricula; (3) the…

One of a series of social studies curriculum guides, this publication outlines a fourth-grade course on Michigan and other regions. Material is presented in two parts. Part 1, an overview of the program, contains an introduction, a statement of philosophy, an outline of elementary level scope and sequence, a description of Michigan mandated…

This is the second volume of a four-volume report of a research project designed to (1) identify job needs for agricultural occupations which will result from the Muskegon County Wastewater Management System and perform a task analysis on each occupation, (2) develop instructional modules and determine their place in either high school or 2-year…