Interactive oral assessments demonstrate potential to develop graduate attributes such as critical thinking, professional communication and collaborative skills in students through authentic simulation of workplace scenarios. This study captured the design, delivery and evaluation of interactive oral assessments across three programmes --…

This report, based on a survey of a nationally representative sample of school districts in Common Core-adopting states, examines school districts' efforts to implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The report addresses district leaders' views on the rigor of the CCSS and their impact on learning and instruction, progress on and…

This workbook describes the Leadership for Excellence (LFE) professional-development program and provides workshop materials for three sessions. LFE is a long-range, systematic professional-development program designed for school administrators. Developed by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, its focus is on actions for increasing…

Describes the Ecology Explorers, the community education component of Arizona State University's Central Arizona Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research project, which offers teacher internship programs that link university researchers, K-12 teachers, and students in studying urban ecology. Explains that student neighborhoods are dynamic ecosystems…

Describes a collaborative science research project designed to help build strong school and community relationships. Participating students joined with university scientists on a yearlong agriculturally-based research project to study the effect of marigolds on nematode management. (KHR)

Resources to support curriculum renewal in small rural schools are severely limited. This handbook reports how five professional teacher networks expand available resources through the collective efforts of network members. The networks are Big Sky Telegraph (Montana), Alaskan Teacher Research Network, Bitterroot Teachers' Network (the Idaho…

An Australian language curriculum development project is examined for insights into approaching future national curriculum development efforts, focusing on coordination and management needs and appropriate patterns for the involvement and development of teachers. (MSE)

Recounts the experiences of a group of K-12 social science educators attending the University of California, San Diego's Summer Institute. The Institute gathers K-12 educators and university professors for lectures, lessons, and interactive projects. The sessions focused on recovering unheard voices and perspectives from history. (MJP)

Just as student centered, collaborative classrooms give students the power to direct their own learning, so too a collaborative, partnership model for the writing staff leads to empowerment and professionalism. At Western Illinois University, involving temporary instructors in the process of curriculum development not only served to boost their…

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Technical Support Network (HBCUTSN) helps strengthen teacher preparation programs at historically black colleges and universities. The HBCUTSN developed a technical assistance model with four components: assessing, educating, coaching, and collaborating. This paper highlights collaboration,…

America's Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley believes that the higher education community must be in a position to respond to raised standards for kindergarten through 12th-grade students. In fact, he said: "These two systems must collaborate to solve a problem that neither can address by itself." Initially, sweeping reform plans…

Traditional classroom teaching preparation does not fully prepare faculty for the special requirements of teaching interactive television courses. Faculty who teach these courses often have to update their skills in current technology, plan courses differently, and work with distance education staff to prepare and deliver courses. This paper…

This report documents a 2-year research and development project aimed at determining the effects of interdisciplinary teamed instruction (ITI) on teaching and learning. The study also sought to validate the effectiveness of a professional development model that would facilitate development, implementation, and evaluation of ITI. Through summer…

The documents enclosed in this report provide a comprehensive and systematic review of the progress made in developing a network organization capable of supporting nanoscience education for the public on a national scale. There is a logic to the studies that were done and to the reports that are included in this notebook. The following are the…

"Focus on Basics" is the quarterly publication of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. It presents best practices, current research on adult learning and literacy, and how research is used by adult basic education teachers, counselors, program administrators, and policymakers. "Focus on Basics" is…