There are many factors that affect the design of effective professional development (PD) programs. This review of literature focuses on some of the theoretical models used to explain teacher change, the contextual factors that impact teacher behaviors and curricular change, and the role of continuous professional development in changing teaching…

Standards-based reform calls for the setting of challenging standards in academic subject areas as an important means of improving student achievement. In 1994, Congress passed the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, which enacted the education goals into law and provided resources for the development of standards and assessments. This report offers…

Research on the results of welfare-to-work programs is both encouraging and sobering. On the one hand, it provides evidence that states can effectively implement various work-oriented programs to encourage large percentages of the welfare caseload to prepare for and enter the labor market. These programs range from rather low-intensity programs…

In contrast to early research (such as Coleman's) that concluded schools could not override influences of the home environment, more current research indicates that schools can make a difference. This paper summarizes those research findings (emphasizing the limitations of the research from the practitioner's perspective) and relates them to new…

A critical analysis of the field practice component of early childhood teacher education is presented. As used here, the term "practice" includes on- and off-campus student teaching programs that provide preservice experiences for persons intending to work with children from birth to eight years of age and lead to a two-year diploma or a…

This paper reviews the literature of formal mentoring programs in organizational settings. Additionally, the components of mentoring, how it works, and how it can be implemented in an organization is addressed. Further this paper also proposes that formal mentoring is possible in organizations. Formal mentoring will be shown to be less effective…

This discussion of the issues relating to the integration of computer technology into the educational setting is divided into six major sections: (1) Board of Educations' Commitments to Thorough and Continuing Training Programs in the Area of Computer Technology; (2) Educating the Present Superintendents, Business Administrators, and Decision…

This report describes instructional uses of computers, interactive videodisks, and related technologies in undergraduate and graduate nursing education and in continuing education and faculty development. Its principal aims are to document ongoing activities, to identify factors that inhibit technological applications in nursing education, and to…

This paper deals with a case study of secondary curriculum diversification as a vocationalization strategy in Sierra Leone. It explores diversification issues from four crucial standpoints that are distinct but highly interrelated. First, diversification is dealt with as a policy that was adopted and actively pursued by Sierra Leone for over a…

Problems and issues related to the financing and use of educational technologies in Arizona schools are addressed from both short- and long-term considerations. A brief review of the spread of computers in schools includes projections for future use of computers in education and a discussion of factors affecting the market, the convergence of…

This report discusses telecommunications as a possible medium for conducting certain types of Pacific Circle Consortium (PCC) business. Under the general heading of teleconferencing, the paper examines a number of telecommunications options including two-way video, electronic mail, slow-scan video, facsimile equipment, electronic blackboards,…

In the last two decades, increasing concern has been expressed about the ability (or inability) of various governmental agencies, service organizations, and manufacturing organizations to effectively perform their tasks. Psychologists have only recently become involved in researching issues concerning the adoption, implementation, and…

The mentoring of new teachers has proven to be an effective strategy in helping novice teachers succeed. This essay provides an overview of mentorship and suggests concrete, research-based techniques for implementing a mentorship program.

A summary of educational planning methodologies tested in Argentina, Guatemala, Brazil, Ecuador, and Bolivia, the document offers opinions and proposals about integrated rural development. Integrated rural development is seen as a social, economic, political, and cultural process in rural areas, designed to improve living conditions. Chapters…

Proposes a systematic approach to the management of innovation in the teaching of English as a second language, based on an integration of techniques from the world of commerce and theories and procedures derived from education. The approach emphasizes the importance of clear understanding of aims. (CB)