Using portfolios in assessing literacy is explored, considering student portfolios and the teacher's class portfolio. Portfolio assessment is a valuable complement to externally mandated tests, but technical issues must be addressed if the portfolio movement is to survive. Portfolios must be linked to the broader task of instructional improvement.…

Over 100 interviews with teachers and administrators provide the base for this analysis of teacher empowerment in several highly decentralized school districts. Examined are (1) how teachers respond to opportunities for influence; (2) how such opportunities affect teaching; and (3) how opportunities affect teachers' work lives and sense of…

Provides a conceptual framework for a professional support personnel (e.g., counselors, deans, librarians) performance evaluation system. Outlines steps in evaluating support personnel (identifying system needs, relating program expectations to job responsibilities, selecting performance indicators, setting job performance standards, documenting…

Techniques to help students with language deficiencies include teacher-prepared aids to help individual work, such as marginal glosses, vocabulary guides, cued text, and advance organizers. Teacher-directed group activities include the structured overview, use of semantic webs, use of the language experience approach, and attribute/classification…

Preschool and kindergarten programs for poor and middle-class children fell into three types: (1) didactic programs, which stressed academic skills and had relatively negative social environments; (2) child-centered programs, which deemphasized academic skills and had positive social environments; and (3) intermediate programs, which fell between…

A cooperative activity involving eight sixth grade students over five days focused on inventing static representations of motion. In generating, critiquing and refining numerous representations, strong metarepresentational competence was found. An intricate blend of the children's conceptual and interactional skills, their interest in and sense of…

Describes a redefined introductory course on the principles of sociology based on seven principles of good teaching. Includes transforming the learner from passive to active, teaching the process of inquiry, and helping students realize why they are learning. Urges a student-centered approach to learning with the instructor as a participant…

Describes a field trip exercise for junior high school students in which students visit a battlefield while studying the Civil War. Discusses team competition as motivation for cooperative learning. Suggests that students can experience leadership, increased self-esteem, and strengthened relationships with peers. Emphasizes balancing student teams…

Presents a class project in which students were divided into groups, each of which produced a letter as though written by a resident of prerevolutionary Texas. Provides suggested characters, review exercises, suggestions, and evaluation advice. Discusses the project's benefits as a Texas state history review and language arts lesson. (DK)

This paper describes a curriculum provided to homeless high school students in San Francisco. The curriculum is delivered at a community-based organization already serving the homeless rather than in the schools and features spontaneous symposiums, scheduled symposiums, independent learning, private and small group instruction in basic academic…

This article on the social behavior problems of children with language disorders who have or are at risk for developing emotional or behavioral disorders examines: prevalence of these disorders, social functioning of these children, early precursors to social competence, relationship challenges of school-age children, implications for assessment…

Discusses educational computing in Korea to be used for improving the teaching-learning process, improving science education, and preparing for an information society. Highlights include government, higher education, and private company support; basic objectives and long-term planning for educational computing; software applications; and future…

Describes undergraduate projects at Harvey Mudd College (California) that use advanced laboratory equipment and procedures normally reserved for graduate students. Examples are given in experimental biology (e.g., digital imaging and DNA analysis), in physics (e.g., using satellites to study earthquake faults), and in mathematics (e.g., teaching…

A study investigated the use of teaching portfolios and student evaluations in evaluating 97 college faculty members for contract renewal. Two faculty peers and a dean evaluated the portfolio of each teacher. Student evaluations correlated reasonably well with portfolio evaluations by the deans and one of the peers. (Author/MSE)

This article describes the efforts of the University of South Florida's Department of Special Education to change its approach to educating special education teachers, by making a total commitment to align its work with public schools in developing a network of Professional Development Schools to reflect a collaborative model of training and…