Describes the programs and students of a magnet high school and some of the educational and social considerations influencing the school. (IRT)

Describes experiences resulting from teaching two online graduate courses in special education and instructional design. Teaching techniques in online instruction are discussed, including (1) the context of teaching online; (2) preparation for online instruction; (3) teaching strategies; (4) evaluation strategies; and (5) placing online teaching…

Notes that the location of any child care center is a key factor in its success. Provides four major objectives to consider when siting a center: (1) the center as a part of the community; (2) access and visibility; (3) desirable and undesirable surroundings; and (4) characteristics of the site itself. (SD)

Describes a political science class that focused on the interconnections between the Iran-Contra political scandal and United States Latin American policies. The class considered relevant aspects of that foreign policy as well as presidential leadership styles, congressional inquiries, bureaucratic politics, and public opinion. Briefly reviews the…

Describes how a multicultural unit was added to a high school American literature course, noting that this necessitated selecting a large number of new books for the school library. Discusses goals of the multicultural project and its main interpretive assignment. Describes briefly selected works by four new African American writers and four new…

Offers an overview of the context and consequences of affirmative action in California with regard to faculty hiring and student admissions for African Americans and other Californians of color. Data support the contention that African American representation in public postsecondary education will decrease in the absence of affirmative action.…

Argues that making ethnic-specific literature integral to the literature program enhances a sense of community. Describes ways of exploring and reading ethnic-specific literature, and lists some titles for adults, young adults, and children. Offers criteria for selecting books, and suggests ways to create a community of readers using literature…

In a two-phase study, Mexican American male and female adolescents listed positive and negative elements related to preferred partner qualities and engaging in sexual activity; then other Mexican American adolescents classified the items. Results suggest that adolescents' partner preferences and reasons to have sex reflected Mexican American…

Describes and discusses an evaluation procedure for middle school literature study guides that uses a combination of three frameworks: J. Langer's model of literature study, H. Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, and B. Cambourne's conditions for learning. Uses the evaluation procedure to compare two study guides for a historical fiction…

A third-year university French composition course aims to develop student interest in/knowledge about a topic; promote discussion/writing of ideas, personal opinions, and experiences; help students explore the topic through progressively more difficult writing tasks; focus on communication of ideas, with some attention given to form; teach…

Examines transfer of the college credit allocation system, prevalent in American higher education, into a Chinese context. Case study of use of the credit system at Shenzhen University, southern China, indicates that cultural, environmental, and structural factors contribute to the transfer's ineffectiveness. Specialization and narrow curriculum…

An authority on student assessment says the ability of public schools to meet federal expectations will depend on the instructional sensitivity of the tests in use. Offers a six-step blueprint for carrying out a public-information campaign about NCLB tests. Lists websites for two reports by five national education associations on instructionally…

Focuses on weighing the options to find the right technology-based assessment tool in schools and discusses questions to ask: "Do our state tests meet our needs?"; "What type of data is of most value?"; "How do today's assessment choices compare?"; "How important is support?"; and "Which criteria are most important in choosing the right test?"…

Contends that when teachers use theme as a guiding force for instruction rather than the single text, students of diverse reading abilities can benefit. Notes that one advantage of a multi-book, single-theme approach with children's literature is that readers of all levels can participate because books of all levels can be used. Concludes that…

This article discusses how text variables interact with reader, strategy, and task variables to affect readability, including text coherence, text organization, signaling, and text structure. It considers how classic readability formulas, in concert with consideration of text, text reader, and strategy variables, can be used to match texts to…