A national survey of higher education stakeholders, including college-bound students, parents, executives, human resource managers, and recent graduates, found agreement that problem solving, critical thinking, and writing/oral skills can be defined as career skills and are the most important goals of higher education. However, many don't…

The Brown University (Rhode Island) medical school curriculum content remains the same, but students must now demonstrate proficiency in relationships with patients, both real and simulated. In addition to traditional skill areas, students must demonstrate competency in effective communication, moral reasoning and ethical judgment, lifelong…

Describes inquiry learning as defining a purpose for inquiry (the problem), postulating tentative answers or solutions, testing various hypotheses, drawing tentative conclusions, and applying those conclusions to new situations. Asserts that acquisition of these skills supports democratic citizenship. Outlines the inquiry approach used for a…

Describes many environmental education projects conducted in schools in Suffolk County, England. Projects include One World Week, which prepared students for exchange visits with Kenya by encouraging awareness of world problems, especially those of poverty and distribution of resources. Other projects were comprised of outdoor programs, recycling…

A study (n=121 students) evaluated the effect of a radically redesigned Harvard University (Massachusetts) medical school preclinical curriculum. Results indicated that students in the new curriculum learned differently; acquired distinctive knowledge, skills, and attitudes; and underwent a more satisfying and challenging preclinical experience…

Defines group processing as review of group dynamics identifying productive behaviors. Reports findings of a study examining how group processing influenced cooperative efforts and individual achievement. Uses results from map skill and problem-solving tests given to 49 Black high school seniors who were college bound. Finds that processing…

Discusses the infusion of environmental education across the entire school curriculum as mandated by the state of Washington. Specifies suggestions for agriculture education, art education, foreign language, health education, home economics, industrial education, language arts, mathematics, physical education, science, and social studies. (MCO)

Response-to-intervention (RtI) models utilize a proactive, prevention approach that requires the implementation of a sophisticated, multi-tiered problem-solving process in the regular education environment. Effective and sustainable implementation of these models will necessitate a mechanism to support professional development, treatment fidelity,…

This study assessed school climate for both interpersonal and intrapersonal character traits and examined the links between school climate and students' perceptions of safety at school. Sixty-four elementary and 159 secondary students completed questionnaires in the spring. Findings revealed that character traits were reliably assessed for both…

Change is hard work, even when we are convinced it is worth the effort. Teachers are expected to change without clear explanations or evidence of how the changes will benefit them or their students. Meaningful change is most likely to occur when teachers' beliefs, feelings, and personality are taken into consideration. This book applies the latest…

Two groups of twelve dyslexic children and twelve good readers attended a two-week class during the summer following their enrollment in grades 4-6. The topic was the marine environment and focused on the adventures of an orca whale that had lost its family and needed the children's help. The children attended class for three hours each day, 45…

In a four-year, longitudinal study conducted between 2000 and 2004, the author followed 700 students as they progressed through three high schools: a diverse, urban school as well as two suburban schools. Although incoming freshmen at the urban school scored significantly lower in mathematics than incoming students at the two suburban schools, by…

This report describes an investigation into how a school moves from a handful of individual teachers dabbling in alternative assessment strategies to full school implementation of an assessment system. The research was conducted at Bay Park Elementary School in the San Diego (California) City School District, a school participating in a pilot…

In order to promote critical thinking in young children, particularly children ages 5-8, teachers need to understand skills and dispositions of critical thinkers. This paper discusses these skills, dispositions, and the appropriate classroom climate, within the context of pedagogy, along with learning activities for kindergarten and primary…

This report documents how the Business/Training Institute of Northwest Iowa Community College and Coilcraft, Inc., of Hawarden, Iowa, worked as partners to establish a basic workplace skills program for Coilcraft's workers. The project goals were to develop and offer a workplace literacy program that would enroll 160 workers and prepare them to…