Examines (1) the meaning of the term Pacific Rim, (2) the reasons for emphasizing the Pacific Rim in the social studies curriculum, and (3) useful strategies for teaching about this part of the world. Provides a list of reference and ERIC resources dealing with this subject. (GEA)

Reviews the literature concerning cognitive style and its effects on reading. (FL)

This digest contains an abridgment of a section of a chapter on "Environmental Education Research Related to Issue Awareness" from the 1984 National Commission for Environmental Education Research (NCEER) Report. The paper was prepared by Randall Wiesenmeyer, Maureen Murrin, and Audrey Tomera. Only the section of the paper dealing with…

This document begins with an overview of trends and issues in the area of adult literacy. This overview briefly addresses: the number of adult illiterates, the costs of adult illiteracy, adult illiteracy as a barrier to increasing U.S. competitiveness, efforts that have focused on adult illiteracy, the issues that have surfaced, and…

Integrating computer-based learning tools into the curriculum has been slow, and the results of actual usage have been inconclusive; however, the potential for effective instruction should increase use by teachers and students. This ERIC Digest discusses three topics: (1) computer use in the classroom; (2) what is known about the effects of…

Twelve instructional leadership publications that have previously been entered in the ERIC system were selected for annotation in this booklet. Several articles concern the leadership role of the principal, its definition, and how principals can become leaders. More specifically oriented entries address the role of administrator leadership in…

Provides an annotated bibliography of seven recent reports and conference papers concerned with the role of literature-based learning and instruction in reading and writing. (MG)

Many educators and policymakers find that deciding on the right staff-development program has become increasingly difficult. This brief, three-part monograph organizes staff-development objectives, models, and program-design features into an understandable, comprehensive framework. Part 1 advises readers on how to weigh a program's objectives.…

Highlights seven resources for teaching history with computers. Titles include "Technology and the Social Studies: A Vision"; "Using Databases in History Teaching"; "Computers and Database Management in the History Curriculum"; "Social Studies. Microsoft Courseware Evaluations"; "Teaching Comparative…

The National Commission on Social Studies in the Schools was formed in 1987 by the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association, and the National Council for the Social Studies to study the state of social studies in the schools and to make recommendations for curricular change. The Commission's curriculum report,…

Intended as a synthesis of current literature on school improvement and educational change, this guide attempts to provide central office personnel, principals, teachers, and parents with an overview of five school improvement models, along with practical suggestions for improving instructional programs. The second chapter summarizes relevant…

Student ratings of instruction are widely used as a basis for personnel decisions and faculty development recommendations. This digest discusses concerns about the validity of student ratings and presents a case for their use in teacher evaluation. There are several strong arguments for using student ratings to evaluate teachers. Students are in a…

Education about national security has always been part of the social studies curriculum in U.S. high schools. But its focus has been simply chronological and episodic with major attention given to war, particularly the decision to enter it and the conduct of U.S. military forces. Little attention has been given to the evolution and structural…

Based on a longer report with the same title, this digest summarizes what college faculty can do to improve their teaching. It maintains that faculty need to stop viewing college teaching as "covering the content" and start viewing it as "helping students learn." To help faculty achieve such an instructional transformation,…

The "ERIC Review" announces research results, publications, and new programs relevant to each issue's theme topic. This issue focuses on the changing face of K-12 professional development for both preservice and inservice teachers. The opening article by Dennis Sparks, "A Paradigm Shift in Staff Development," describes a…