This article details the journey Luke Rhine, a Program Specialist in Career and Technology Education at the Maryland State Department of Education, as he went about the difficult task of building consistency and establishing rigorous expectations for Technology education in Maryland. As a result, Maryland has developed a model for Technology…

Teacher education in universities is under pressure. In many new education policies there is a renewed focus on teacher quality, and therefore quality initial teacher education. In some countries this renewed focus has led to a resurgence of "alternative approaches" to teacher education such as Teach for America / Australia. One of the…

Recently the National Reading Panel concluded that systematic and direct instruction in phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension that is informed by ongoing assessments of student progress results in positive student achievement (NICHHD, 2002). For students with moderate to severe disabilities and students with…

A team-taught interdisciplinary undergraduate unit in Sustainable Development has been developed and run over the past two years at the University of Bristol. This has been a unique initiative for this university to take. As in most other research-intensive higher education institutions, teaching generally follows rather traditional disciplinary…

Academics preparing students for experiential placements within professional programs require considerable curriculum planning and pedagogical expertise. Communities of practice involving workshops and online processes provide opportunities for collaborative work in developing quality curriculum materials and also in supporting widespread…

Describes the development and validation of the Curriculum Adaptation Scheme (CAS) to aid curriculum developers in their curriculum adaptation endeavors. Provides a copy of the instrument. (DS)

Describes a project designed to create instructional materials in entrepreneurship for secondary vocational students. Steps discussed include selection of small businesses to be treated in modules, determination of module content, guidelines for presentation of module content, and results of field test and expert review. (CT)

A checklist is presented that provides an organizational framework for the development, review, and selection of instructional techniques and programs for persons having severe handicaps. The checklist covers instructional content, description of learner population, instructional methods, testing and recording, individualization, program…

This chapter considers ways in which college or university instructional development centers can enhance their effectiveness in order to insure their "survival" in the face of budgetary restraints and administrative scrutiny. It is suggested that in order to do so, a center must become an integral part of the institution, must be productive, and…

In this article, we work towards developing a signature pedagogy for educational leadership preparation programs. A signature pedagogy that engenders theory-building processes and leadership practices includes complex case studies, inquiry-centered internships, collaborative and interdisciplinary leadership institutes, and continuous assessments…

Results of the application for two years of a competency-based format in the undergraduate social work curriculum at University of Wisconsin-Superior are reported. The rationales for the approach and processes of developing curriculum for specific competencies are examined. Interrelationships in competencies are described. (MSE)

Describes how to design an interactive course for the Internet, using as an example the development of a graduate course entitled Accessing Information through Technology. Course design includes development of a needs assessment, goal analysis, student assessment, instructional strategy, and course evaluation. (SM)

Focusing on the school district's written expectations for students, this document examines curriculum improvement in four sections, each accompanied by a list of related references. The first section explores the organizational and substantive planning needed to structure any curriculum improvement project effectively and includes information on…

The purpose of the Teacher Education Improvement Project at Grambling State University (Louisiana) was to document the change processes and products the institution used to improve performance of prospective teachers. The intent was to validate the effectiveness of planned programs of change in five areas: student assessment; faculty development;…

This manual describes an alternative service delivery model, developed at Park Hill School District in Missouri, that involves regular and special education secondary-level teachers in a collaborative instructional delivery system. Its three major components include: (1) "A Class within a Class" which places the teacher of mild/moderate learning…