This article reviews the development of gifted education in Taiwan and identifies some current problems such as negative effects of entrance examinations and unchallenging curricula. It describes the development of a pilot program using Renzulli's Enrichment Triad Model. Findings related to curriculum compacting, group training activities, and…

This report provides the results of a comprehensive 4-year study of a statewide instructional improvement effort in Maryland; presents the characteristics of successful staff development for each of four implementation strategies (active teaching, mastery learning, student team learning, and teaching variables); and identifies the relationships…

Growing Thinkers is a teacher in-service program, designed and instituted in the Houston (Texas) Independent School District, which focuses on the development of higher-order thinking abilities. The three overall goals of the program are: (1) to recognize and further develop excellence in teaching; (2) to enhance the development of higher-order…

A California school district used the Hunter teaching model for a study to measure the effect of the model on teachers and students in two schools over a four-year period. Evaluation shows that student achievement and teacher behavior improved during the first three years then dropped during the fourth. (MD)

The Multi-District Outreach Projects for Services for Youths with Disabilities include 14 federally funded projects that assist in the adoption of proven models, components of models, or other exemplary practices. The projects are designed to improve secondary education and transition services in areas such as continuing education,…

This final report describes the activities and outcomes of a federally funded project designed to enable teachers of young children (ages 5-8) with mental retardation, cognitive disabilities and other developmental disabilities to teach problem solving and self-determination related skills in multiple districts across Texas and Kansas. The project…

The papers in this document were prepared by representatives of seven innovative teacher staff development projects in Northern Virginia. They describe networks of inservice and staff development activities which were originally designed and implemented in the schools. The following papers are included: (1) "TESA: Teacher Expectations and Student…

The Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation was established in 1992 to develop a new competency-based teacher preparation and professional development system. The commission's report begins with the Vision Statement and responsibilities of the new system, followed by "A New Vision: Educators as the Key to Educational Excellence" by…

A conflict resolution curriculum is suggested as a pilot program in a classroom for students with behavior disorders, as these students have more referrals for detention and suspension and more encounters with law enforcement agencies than do other students. Using a modeling approach, all students would subsequently benefit, as the program expands…

The Steps to Self-Determination curriculum model focuses on knowing oneself, valuing oneself, planning, acting, experiencing outcomes, and learning. It has been tested with 77 high school students having a variety of disabilities. Two related scales have also been developed: the Self-Determination Observation Checklist and the Self-Determination…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of the California PEERS (Providing Education for Everyone in Regular Schools) Outreach Project, a cooperative effort of the California Department of Education, California State University at Hayward, and eight school districts. The project focused on increasing the capacity of the…

Addressing the Pittsburgh public school system's need for staff evaluation, Pittsburgh's Research-Based Instructional Supervisory Model (PRISM) is an adaptation of Madeline Hunter's materials on effective teaching and Theodore Forte's synthesis of Hunter's materials in his "Workshop on Instructional Skills." While total PRISM…

Describes and synthesizes the findings of 11 case studies which comprise the Exemplary Practice in Science and Mathematics Education Study. Reports four assertions in which exemplary teachers used strategies for management, encouraging students to participate, increasing understanding of science and math, and maintaining a favorable classroom…

This article presents a rationale for inclusion of students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in regular classrooms; identifies current problems with inclusive practices; and offers a model program, the Irvine Paraprofessional Program. This program focuses on the use of paraprofessional teacher assistants, inservice training on…

The Higher Education Faculty Institute was designed to increase the capacity of institutions of higher education to offer coursework, practicum, and specialty course sequences across personnel preparation programs for disciplines involved in early intervention. During the 3 years of the project, 38 higher education faculty were enrolled in…