Discussion of teacher training for educational technology highlights a program developed by the Houston Independent School District to provide inservice training for teachers. Continuous needs assessment and the need for evaluation are emphasized, and technology planning and implementation for the present day and for the future are discussed.…

The reform legislation in the State of Illinois requires each district to articulate learner outcomes in six areas of education. Separate provisions of the law require increased assessment and reporting by the states and local districts. Deficiencies in the reform program, and the State Board of Education's implementation of the program, are…

Examines the origins and conceptualization of the social studies movement in Africa, and describes the practice of social studies and its current status. Concludes that although social studies has some unique problems due to the nature of the subject matter, it is more relevant to the lives of African children than traditional curricula. (LS)

Describes a collaborative project between California State University, Los Angeles, and an urban elementary school that fostered conditions for parent involvement in the school and home-school cooperation. Workshops, English classes, and a parent mentor program were features of the successful effort. (SLD)

Two different approaches to community involvement in the schools are demonstrated by participants in the School-Community Connection initiative of the Institute for Responsive Education. The Wisconsin school district connects students to the outside environment, while the Hawaii district brings supportive networks into the school to nurture…

The goal of the Teacher Education Program Consortium is to develop a network of preservice and inservice teacher education programs that share an experiential/constructivist learning philosophy. A survey of 84 selected teacher education programs examined program scope, structure, and financial resources; educational philosophy; and program…

Describes installation and configuration of Mosaic and a World Wide Web (WWW) site at Grainger Library. Challenges include choosing a WINSOCK; customizing Mosaic for public-access computers; reducing security risks; maximizing Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME); designing a home page; producing Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) documents.…

Explores how a Texas public school district progressed with a state mandate to integrate information technology into the curriculum. A survey was administered to evaluate why information technology is or is not efficiently used in the district's learning processes. Results found influential factors such as attitudes; hardware, software, and…

The cooperative elementary school model uses cooperation, particularly cooperative learning, as a philosophy for educational change. A 2-year study of the cooperative elementary school model in 2 treatment and 3 comparison schools involving 1,012 students demonstrates positive effects on academic achievement and social relations. (SLD)

Describes the school choice program and its implementation in Minnesota. The Post-Secondary Options program offers public high school students the chance to take courses in other high schools or colleges. The High School Graduation Incentive Program helps students work out their educational problems and graduate from high school. (JB)

One of five articles on professional development schools in this theme issue. Discusses six developmental stages of collaboration--formation, conceptualization, development, implementation, evaluation, and termination/reformation--in the implementation of professional development schools at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, including…

Discusses the development, implementation and implications of the Parent Assisted Reading Program at the Sunrise School in northern Utah which serves half-day kindergarten children. This program was designed to increase volunteer participation by parents in early (storybook) reading activities in the schools. (BB)

This article describes development and implementation of a project that required students to prepare portfolios to demonstrate acceptable levels of professional knowledge and teaching skill. Findings are presented from an inquiry into reviewers' (n=100) and students' (n=230) opinions about portfolio-based assessment. (IAH)

Based on intensive case studies of two school districts, this study compared two teacher work reforms: merit pay and job enlargement. Interviews with 64 teachers and 53 administrators, supplemented by over 1,300 survey responses, indicate the efficacy of each approach and the potential advantages of job enlargement. (SLD)

Provides an overview of the history of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in the United States. Surveillance data are given for several groups of African Americans, including women and men who have sex with men. AIDS cumulative incidence among African Americans in the next several years is projected. (SLD)