This document consists of the four 2002 issues of a quarterly newsletter for Illinois early childhood program directors, providing information on current issues in early childhood education. Regular features in each issue include: "The Director's Toolbox," delineating practical suggestions for directors related to program policies and…

This document is comprised of weekly newsletters for 2002, organized by month, for family child care providers. Each theme-based newsletter contains: (1) creative activities for use with mixed-age groups of 2- to 5-year-olds; (2) ideas on guiding behavior, organization tips, and a Monthly Planning Calendar; (3) special sections for infants and…

This literature review examines the functional tasks of the school district central office and the internal dynamics of relations between the central office and district schools (with their principals, teachers, and students). It builds on previous reviews of the role of school boards and superintendents. The review begins by analyzing studies of…

This study on elementary science teaching enhancement was conducted in a program based on the professional development schools (PDS) model of teacher education and the National Science Education Standards. The premise being that if the PDS model can generally improve teacher preparation and P-12 education, perhaps, an integration of the PDS model…

This paper describes a study of students' perceptions of the impact of accessibility and interactivity on successful distance education in the Health Professions. The study utilized both quantitative and qualitative data to determine how students perceived issues of accessibility and interactivity affecting their success in distance courses. The…

The ideas presented in the sourcebook, and in a summarized companion volume, "Leading for Learning: Reflective Tools for School and District Leaders," support leaders' efforts to improve student learning in schools and districts. The ideas constitute a framework for enabling powerful, equitable learning for all students, outlining five areas of…

This paper summarizes Technology Integration Project efforts in four urban elementary schools that were involved in Professional Development Schools (PDSs). Project activities centered on: supporting the rooting of technology integration into school culture and teachers' efforts to integrate technology into their classrooms and strengthening the…

This paper describes how the University of Massachusetts (Boston) developed partnership programs to improve achievement of students with significant disabilities just beginning to participate in a standards-based general curriculum. Fundamental to the effort was development of a 12-credit graduate certificate program focused on adapting the…

This final report describes the activities and outcomes of a project designed to develop and establish a psychoeducational assessment model to enhance the ability of educators, psychologists, and learning specialists to design and conduct meaningful evaluations of students who are deaf-blind. By focusing on psychoeducational assessment, this…

The Lycoming County (Pennsylvania) Literacy Project hosts a tutor training workshop approximately four times per year to certify tutors to teach its learners. Previously, the information provided for the tutors at this workshop consisted of nearly 100 handouts distributed at random. Comments and observations indicated that having such a large…

The need for accountability in school psychological services is receiving increased attention. School psychologists are now being asked to demonstrate the effectiveness of their services. Data collection procedures can improve services to clients and systems, enhance the delivery system's psychological services program, validate the need for…

The 49 papers presented in this volume are evidence of the research, scholarship, and professional nature of the offerings of the third National Conference of African American Librarians, sponsored by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. The papers are arranged into nine tracks and Pre-Conference topics: I: Library Connections: An…

This project continued a 2-year project that had focused on development and implementation of training in content areas needed by staff from ABLE (Adult Basic and Literacy Education)-funded agencies in Pennsylvania. The project continued to coordinate the review and selection of training materials for professional development in designated content…

This case study presents a portrait of one English teacher within her school and in her professional contexts. It is part of a series of reports investigating methods of successful English instruction which reconciles professional trends with individual practice. The case study examines data collected during 1996-1998 from the classroom of Gail…

An instructional module designed to help prepare college-level teaching assistants (TAs) for their duties in second language instruction is presented. The purpose of this module is to assist TAs in integrating what they are learning about teaching methods, language acquisition, and the nature of the profession. There are five parts, each…