This handbook describes the mission of each of the 10 Regional Educational Laboratories in the U.S. The laboratories ensure that those involved in educational improvement at the local, state, and regional levels have access to the best available information from research and practice, thus guaranteeing that lessons about school reform that are…

Investigates five writing centers from the viewpoint of English faculty. Describes these writing centers' history, the different concepts of their roles in community colleges and universities, their staffing, the politics of their structural organization and funding, the array of services they provide, and the direction of their development. (SR)

Explains that the writing center is a computerized tutoring room where high school students can get individualized help with their writing. Describes some of the activities and problems of one such center. Suggests that the center can help students learn to be good writers and become more familiar with computer technology. (SG)

The idea-centered freshman composition program at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina, functions not only to meet the immediate needs of freshmen writers, but also to promote the aims of liberal education. The program has three interrelated goals: (1) to engage freshmen writers in "college thinking," defined as giving…

Discusses the advantages of making the writing center part of the instructional media center in schools and provides some questions to consider in setting up a writing center. Offers three examples of popular writing assignments. (MG)

Recognizing that a crisis exists in engineering education, several state professional engineering societies have taken the lead in identifying and helping to solve problems related to engineering education on a state level. The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), believing that NSPE state societies are ideally structured to assume a…

Described is a laboratory interface system including hardware, software, and student activities. Student use of this system is reviewed stressing experimental design skills and student-designed experiments. (CW)

In the first of a three-part series, the authors examine the origin of the organizational development movement, instrumented team learning seminars for managers, their experimental programs for industry at various locations, the development of the "managerial grid," management by objectives, behavior modification, and other approaches to…

Results of a project designed to extend the level of academic cooperation among four member colleges of the Associated Colleges of the St. Lawrence Valley are presented. The specific goal of the project, which was funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, was to initiate activities that were cost beneficial. Members of the consortia are:…

The concepts and procedures used in two skill development laboratories for college students are introduced. The materials describe the interviewing skills lab that teaches a variety of interpersonal skills used in one-on-one helping relationships, and the group skills lab that provides practical training in the basic skills of leading, conducting,…

Described is a series of workshops designed to familiarize teachers with the social and legal background, principles of humane care, ethical considerations, and philosophies that influence animal use in the classroom. Discussed are the value of dissection, alternatives to dissection, and student reactions to dissection. (CW)

Some common problems faced by administrators developing tutoring programs in postsecondary education institutions--development of program goals, how to select and train tutors, and evaluating and monitoring program effectiveness--are addressed in this booklet. In the first of four sections, eight articles address the purpose and design of various…

Intended for administrators of schools within the Hawaii Department of Education, this document provides descriptions of 34 alternative strategies implemented by small, rural, and/or isolated secondary schools across the nation to improve the quality of their vocational programs. Introductory materials discuss the document's purpose, the need for…