As numerous studies from 1906 on have confirmed, children lose ground in learning if they lack opportunities for building skills over the summer. Nonetheless, summer learning loss comes up but rarely in the national discussion of education reform. By the end of summer, students perform on average one month behind where they left off in the spring.…

Engineering has gained considerable traction in many K-12 schools. However, there are several obstacles or challenges to an effective approach that leads to student learning. Questions such as where engineering best fits in the curriculum; how to include it authentically and appropriately; toward what educational end; and how best to prepare…

In April 2008, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) contracted with the Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) to facilitate a series of regional workshops and provide technical assistance to strengthen efforts to improve college readiness for all students. This final report summarizes these activities…

Between 1999 and 2003, the Western Massachusetts Writing Project experienced a series of changes that made it question whether it could survive as a writing project site. The convergence of retirement, unexpected death, and withdrawal of long-term financial support forced the existing leadership to develop a process to look deeply into the work of…

The guide provides an overview of Massachusetts' programs for gifted and talented students with information on resources for program development. The first section provides a rationale for the education of gifted and talented students. Section II presents summaries of nine statewide programs, highlighting goals, identification methods, curriculum,…

This updated curriculum planning guidebook is a resource for fire educators throughout the state of Massachusetts. It is designed to be a tool in efforts to: identify fire problems in the community; select appropriate behaviors and lessons to correct the fire problems; design fire education programs; and implement and evaluate the programs. The…

The paper reviews the experiences of special education administrators in Quincy (MA) Public Schools regarding compliance with P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. Noted are the decentralized model of Pupil Personnel Service Teams, the administrator's role in guiding teachers to set priorities in academic and vocational…

With the establishment of the Bureau of Institutional Schools (BIS) within the Division of Special Education, educational specialists have been appointed to represent the bureau in each of the division's six regional offices. The primary role of the BIS representative is one of assistance in the development of educational programs for children…

Goals, objectives, activities, and accomplishments of the guidance component of Project CAREER (Computer Assisted Research for Educational Relevance) are documented in the report. The purpose of the component was to develop a series of transportable models for enhancing career awareness, career exploration, and career-skill development at the…

This publication is part of a series of tools and resources on financing and sustaining youth programming. These tools and resources are intended to help policymakers, program developers, and community leaders develop innovative strategies for implementing, financing, and sustaining effective programs and policies. This strategy brief presents a…

This handbook, one of the Massachusetts Dissemination Project's "Resources for Schools" series, is a sampling of exemplary guidance and counseling programs in Massachusetts schools. It is designed as a practical tool for guidance personnel, teachers, administrators, and other school personnel concerned about strengthening pupil personnel…

A survey report of programs for gifted and talented students in Massachusetts is presented, along with information about funding sources and related programs. The first section provides a definition of terms and a glossary of instructional models used in developing programs for gifted and talented students. The section also offers an analysis of…

Described is a pilot resource center program for mainstreaming and serving 123 special needs children (ages 3-21) as mandated in Chapter 766 (Massachusetts Special Education Law). The resource center program is explained in the first section as a service, as a success center, as an in-house team, as a beneficial program, and as a special service…

This report summarizes the themes and presents the recommendations that grew out of a conference on the use of paraprofessionals in schools, which was held in January 1977 at the behest of the Massachusetts Department of Education. The report is organized in three sections. The first section presents a number of major themes that ran through both…

Since 1990, over 40 Illinois and Massachusetts school districts have built capacity for sustained improvement through vertically structured, district-level Learning Leadership Teams. Originated by Motorola executives, LLT was based on an understanding of organizational change derived from the National Science Foundation's definition of systemic…