This theme issue of "Update on Gifted Education" brings together accounts of diverse efforts being made to encourage excellence and equity in schools. A dialogue with Lionel R. Meno, Commissioner of Education in Texas, stresses how services for gifted students fit into the larger picture of addressing the needs of all students, examines…

Studies suggest that the traditional technique of one-way lectures used most often by teachers results in about 42% retention after class, and 17% a week later. To improve both student learning and institutional effectiveness, colleges should support faculty development programs that expose teachers to two-way teaching and learning processes.…

Profiles of 14 educational programs and products are presented which focus on competency- and goal-based education. Each report contains a description of the background, goals, and methods of the program or product, as well as the address of a contact person. The programs described are: (1) Project Write, designed to improve composition skills of…

Research findings and examples of inschool suspension programs in Oregon are combined in this bulletin. An introduction defines "at-risk" students as those having behavioral or attendance problems. Unlike traditional out-of-school suspension, alternative programs attempt to keep at-risk students at school. Chapter 1 surveys three…

Faculty members in various Illinois universities work cooperatively in implementing and refining a program of teacher identification of problems of pupils which limit and handicap their progress in school. The Student Needs Assessment Program (SNAP) requires a high level of professional commitment from both teachers and the principal. Teachers use…

This monograph offers a series of questions which are intended to serve as a framework for investigating the status of arts education programs within elementary and secondary schools. It is intended as an aid to parents, educators, and other interested citizens as they evaluate and/or seek to improve arts education programs. The questions are…

Professionals who work in the area of vocational education for students with special needs were surveyed to determine how they identify exemplary programs. Those students include those who are handicapped, disabled, dropouts, of limited English proficiency, immigrants, displaced homemakers, dislocated workers, disadvantaged, single or teen…

Families in urban areas struggle with drug abuse, poverty, increasing housing costs, and lack of affordable child care. The challenges confronting urban schools include a higher dropout rate, higher youth unemployment, and the need to address a variety of special needs of their student population, such as programs for pregnant students, dropouts,…