Unaccompanied youth are young people who lack safe, stable housing and who are not in the care of a parent or guardian. They may have run away from home or been forced to leave by their parents. Unaccompanied youth live in a variety of temporary situations, including shelters, the homes of friends or relatives, cars, campgrounds, public parks,…

In recent years, tertiary institutions in developed countries have made extensive use of Course Management Systems (CMSs), software packages designed to help educators create online learning communities. To date, however, such packages have been little used in higher education institutions (HEIs) in China. In this article, we describe the…

Students from seven institutions of higher education reported their preferences for different paradigms of service at the beginning of their service-learning courses. At the end of the courses, they described the associated service activities in terms of the same paradigms and also completed scales describing their learning outcomes and attitudes…

This paper describes a collaborative action research approach used to explore peer observation of teaching (POT) within the online environment. Although POT has become familiar in face-to-face teaching contexts, little is understood of its potential role in online settings. We conducted "virtual" focus groups to explore the experience…

Although over 15 years have passed since Witt (1990) noted that no empirical evidence exists to support the contention that a collaborative approach to consultation leads to more positive outcomes than a hierarchical or expert driven approach, this issue generally remains unaddressed (Schulte & Osborne, 2003). While the literature documenting…

This paper provides an overview of a portfolio-based teacher evaluation system at Auburn University (Alabama) designed to promote self-assessment, reflection, and professional growth of preservice teachers. This system was developed and implemented in response to a state mandate that all preservice teachers, prior to recommendation for state…

This book describes how the principles of quality can be applied to education. Based on the work of W. Edwards Deming and Joseph M. Juran, the book outlines a systematic and practical approach to implementing quality in educational settings. It also describes how to encourage staff participation in quality initiatives. Total-quality schools are…

The purpose of this study was to examine the initiation and implementation of microcomputer technology in the educational environment of N.H. Jones Elementary School (Ocala, Florida) and to assess its impact on teachers. Microcomputer technology was configured as a teacher workstation. A conceptual framework was developed to promote microcomputer…

Video Job Shadows encourages students to develop questions about a job and offers them the chance to videotape a business person answering those questions about his or her job. The program can be an effective method of teaching high school students about the world of work and the specific requirements and responsibilities of some jobs in their…

This guide was developed to help new literacy practitioners in Ontario, Canada, become familiar with designing, developing, and delivering literacy programs in the community. The guide is organized in 10 sections according to subject area. The three sections of part 1 deal with the developmental stages of planning, designing, and launching a…

Because many schools face the difficult task of training teachers to use the Internet, this paper provides guidelines for planning and implementing an Internet training program for teachers. The first issue that must be addressed is defining goals and objectives by assessing the needs of the network users. Next, the various methods of Internet…

At the Homestead Campus of Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC), in Florida, one barrier to fully integrating technology in the classroom was identified as the low-level of student computer skills. To address the problem, the campus undertook a project to establish a technology basic skills workshop for all students. In informal interviews to…

This three-part guide presents information and recommendations from the Massachusetts Professional Development School Network Steering Committee on how to develop a professional development school (PDS) partnership. Part 1 defines the PDS concept, presents a brief background account of its evolution, and discusses its potential for simultaneously…

Standards-based reform calls for the setting of challenging standards in academic subject areas as an important means of improving student achievement. In 1994, Congress passed the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, which enacted the education goals into law and provided resources for the development of standards and assessments. This report offers…

This report contains findings of an evaluation of the first phase of Tayside Region's (Scotland) Devolved School Management (DSM) scheme. The evaluation sought to evaluate the first phase of implementation and to suggest ways in which the scheme and accompanying training might be improved. Sixty schools chose to participate in the first phase,…