Briefly describes what is involved in sharing excellence, including the need to write grant proposals for dissemination money. (IRT)

To conclude this special section, guest editor Murphy examines why Ed Schools should redesign their leadership education programs, explores what it will take to foster change, and presents a model program to stimulate debate and action. (Contains 21 endnotes.)

An exemplary program based at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay greatly increases the odds that at-risk youngsters will not only graduate from high school, but will go on to higher education. The program is also a model of university/community collaboration. ["Inspiring Students to Create the Future" was written with Timothy U.…

Reporting a demonstration environmental education program in Corvallis, Oregon, schools. (Author)

A Wisconsin elementary school program for talented and gifted students has provided a receptive atmosphere for curricular innovation that has proven beneficial for the entire school. (JBM)

Describes and evaluates a 3-year, 6-district (2 urban, 2 suburban, and 2 rural) Effective Schools Process demonstration project in Ohio. (PKP)

So far, the results of school restructuring efforts have been more rhetorical than real. As several University of Georgia projects illustrate, the work of newly decentralized, empowered schools embodies both high excitement and high anxiety. The contradictions of empowerment lie in attempting inimitable innovations while withstanding uncertainty…

Classroom research and formative evaluation, the most efficient methods of assessing and planning teaching improvements, form the link to quality student learning. An assessment program at Alverno College (Wisconsin) and an instructional improvement program at Miami-Dade Community College (Florida) demonstrate the importance of bringing assessment…

UNESCO nations were surveyed about education of gifted children. Developed nations' programs were most extensive, Communist countries were wary of elitism, and developing nations had more pressing concerns. Nations had difficulties with identifying "gifted" students, funding, and finding qualified teachers, but commitment to programs for…

This model alternative program incorporates the elements of individualized instruction programs developed through diagnostic/prescriptive techniques, experimentation with innovative teaching practices, and an emphasis on students' use of community resources. In the last 2 years, no students have chosen the option of a "Walkabout"…

Despite its phenomenal success at disseminating information on endorsed innovative programs, the National Diffusion Network's interstate activities will be severely limited unless a new source of funding is found. (Author/IRT)

Do proficiency tests show whether students are gifted? Are programs for the talented properly funded? Confusion among programs for gifted students indicates that guidelines should be established, including weighing the gifted label for each program and linking programs to special talents. References included. (CJH)

National Science Foundation reports provided criteria for identifying 54 exemplary science programs in the United States. Questionnaires and school visits showed programs characterized by locally developed curricula, less emphasis on textbooks, and outstanding teachers (average age: 51 years; degree: M.A. 30). (PB)

A new cooperative program jointly designed by Philadelphia school principals and University of Pennsylvania faculty members allows principals the opportunity to earn graduate degrees while studying educational theory in the context of their own practical experiences. (JBM)

The Roberson Center for the Arts and Sciences in Binghamton, New York, brings art, music, drama, and science to public school children. (DW)