This report contains data from "The Condition of Education 1996" on issues that are central to the process of work preparation: course-taking patterns among high school and postsecondary students, student experience as it relates to preparation for entry into the labor force, and adult involvement in education and training while employed. Some of…

This paper explores the role of self discovery in the early stages of caregiver professional development, with a focus on the array of choices available to university students. The assumption is that many people do not know their repertoire of skills until asked to complete a project requiring those skills; thus, "the heart of becoming a…

Selecting and using technology for the classroom is an enormous responsibility for teachers. This book helps educators of K-12 decide which of the many available technologies are right for them. It presents and develops five learning methods based on specific technological devices and practices. These methods include teacher-centered learning with…

This paper describes the planning and implementation of a school-wide home page at California Lutheran University (CLU) (Thousand Oaks, California). A working team created a balanced web site which represents all areas of the CLU community. The Internet Task Force implemented general computing policies, standardized University home page design,…

This document is a catalogue designed to help motivate students by familiarizing teachers with use and selection of manipulative materials. The first section discusses what manipulative materials are, how to use manipulative materials in instruction, in what branches of mathematics manipulative can be used, what students benefit from manipulative…

This annotated bibliography, collected and reviewed by the Test Center staff at Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL), represents approximately 216 articles on the topic of portfolios. The articles are presented in alphabetical order by primary author and are also listed in an index. The articles are diverse. For example, they include…

This theme issue of a newsletter that focuses on transition of youths who are deaf-blind discusses the topic of assistive technology. An introduction introduces the issue and notes the vast array of homemade low technology and commercially available high technology assistive aids and devices that enable adults with sensory disabilities to live,…

The study reported here evaluated the usefulness of interactive videodisc technology and materials to teach second languages at the elementary and middle school levels, particularly in a context in which teachers lack expertise in the target language. A 3-year project used videodiscs to teach Spanish, French, and Japanese. The report presents, in…

Guidelines are given for automating a library. Issues arising in automation are illustrated through the experience of the Doherty Library of the University of St. Thomas, Houston (Texas). The first step is to decide what type of system is right for the needs of the library and its patrons. In considering vendors of systems, it is important to…

A preliminary study reports on the possibilities for increasing the employment of people from New York City's poor neighborhoods to help children succeed in school through such nonclassroom activities as home visitation, parent education, facilitation, and coordination of parent-involvement activities, and assistance in the provision of health,…

Representing current thinking about a wide range of issues related to reading motivation, this book offers a look at how to create classroom cultures that foster in students the love of reading. The book is about teachers and the critical role they play in helping children develop into motivated, active, engaged readers who read both for pleasure…

This book provides a total "how-to" approach for the use of technology, including information on the types of systems, hardware, and software available. It offers guidelines for determining how to match specific systems and needs, as well as strategies for implementing technology and Total Quality Education (TQE) to improve teaching. It…

This practical guide is intended to help teachers encourage recreational reading in a second language. The guide is based on the experience of one British school. The guide's first section offers suggestions for finding and selecting appropriate books or story collections, library instruction, keeping individual reading diaries, and helping slow…

This handbook is a reference for sponsors of food service programs for children during school vacation periods. It is not applicable to academic year operations. Issues relating to planning a food service program are discussed. These include sponsor eligibility, the determination of the need of recipient children, requirements of kinds and amounts…

Performance assessment is reviewed as an emerging form of alternative assessment, focusing on how it has been defined in the research literature, the criteria for evaluating its authenticity, the measurement of process and product, and the link between assessment and instruction. Three important dimensions that must be considered in describing…