Mapping Our City is a two-year project in which middle school teachers and students in Boston explore the uses of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in project-based science, environmental education, and geography. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation and is being field tested in three Boston middle school science classrooms.…

This annual report of the National Council on Disability (NCD) describes major activities and accomplishments during fiscal year 1996 in its role of advising the President and Congress on issues concerning people with disabilities. The NCD conducted the first-ever National Summit on Disability Policy which gathered 300 people to develop more than…

Teaching journalism to produce a bilingual newsletter is an effective way to improve the writing abilities of Hispanic high school students in English and Spanish. Additionally, the creation of a bilingual newsletter can increase the students' awareness of and participation in community issues. This project paper analyzes why teaching journalism…

This paper focuses on the role of self-evaluation during self-regulated learning. After a discussion of the social cognitive theory of self-regulation, self-efficacy, and achievement goals, two studies of fourth graders who were learning fraction skills and one ongoing research project with college students enrolled in their first computer class…

A study compared students' perceptions about the quality and cost-effectiveness of and satisfaction with feedback they get through: written correspondence; face-to-face sessions; and non-contiguous interaction on electronic media. The survey received responses from 529 of 2,500 active students of the German FernUniversitat (FeU) and 653 of 2,500…

Four issues of a newsletter on recent library statistics provide information on Colorado school library media centers, as well as census data on state and local government library spending. A 1994 survey of school library media centers reveals a lack of adequate library media staffing in half of the public elementary and secondary schools.…

This study explored relationships between gender and the math and science interests of fifth and sixth graders (N=105) who participated in a summer enrichment program for gifted students. A researcher-developed questionnaire was utilized to obtain demographic data about the students and their intent or desire to pursue careers in math and/or…

School media centers are at a critical juncture. Over the next decade, schools will undergo fundamental technical, economic, societal, instructional and administrative changes. Current uses of computers in education include drill and practice, word processing, simulation exercises, database management, and computer-based graphics. When the use of…

This report provides a summary of the activities of the South Carolina State Library. The highlight of the year was development and adoption of the "Agenda for Change," a program which makes the Library more responsive to the needs of public libraries. As a result, the Library evaluated its personnel needs and transferred vacant…

This report documents activities and projects from 1987 to 1994 of the Trace Research and Development Center (Wisconsin), which addresses the communication needs of nonvocal severely disabled children and adults. During this period the Center also served as a national Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on the topic of Access to Computers…

This conference paper describes the cooperative learning structure; presents the elements of cooperative learning; discusses how to plan, implement, and evaluate using the cooperative learning structure; introduces assistive technology services for students with disabilities; and examines how devices and services can be used to facilitate active…

Boles Independent School District (Texas) serves 360 students and is the poorest district in Texas. Yet, due to the aggressiveness of its superintendent and staff, Boles has pieced together a technology program that equals or surpasses those of larger neighboring districts with more resources. This success is derived from creativity,…

This booklet for parents summarizes the curriculum at the University of Tulsa School for Gifted Children in Oklahoma. Program goals are to: (1) enhance academic achievement; (2) provide an emotionally supportive and intellectually challenging atmosphere; and (3) develop a creative and positive approach to school learning. A major premise of…

A component of preservice teacher education is the methodology of teaching mathematics using manipulatives. To enhance prospective teachers' understanding of the use of manipulatives to teach mathematics, interactive video can provide an effective medium to bring the reality of the school classroom to the university classroom. Two interactive…

This report examines the effects of feedback, through the use of computer-assisted instruction, on the problem-solving abilities of "at-risk" college students, i.e., students identified as academically disadvantaged. Study subjects were 30 male and female undergraduate students aged 18 to 23 years. The study used two computer-assisted…