This issue of the "Early Childhood Bulletin" explains the developmental and learning implications of play for very young children and outlines ways in which assistive technology can open doors to play for children with disabilities. The importance of incorporating assistive technology into a child's early intervention program through the…

This digest reviews the current state of teacher preparation for using educational technology to improve student performance and achievement, describing promising initiatives for improving teachers' technology training. Though most teachers have some familiarity with computers, many do not incorporate computer skills into classroom instruction.…

This report presents a 25-year plan to raise academic achievement levels and to create a seamless system of lifelong learning in postsecondary schools in the state of Washington. A focus is placed on access in terms of learning, individual enrichment and economic advancement for the people of Washington State. Factors such as increased enrollment,…

This framework details Vermont's educational standards and learning opportunities for Kindergarten through grade 8. The standards are to be used to: (1) provide structure from which standards-based district, school, and classroom curricula can be developed, organized, implemented, and assessed; (2) provide the basis for development of a state,…

This book is a proposal for the Strategic Education Research Partnership (SERP), a large-scale coherent program of research and development carried out through a partnership between researchers and practitioners. The program would put the problems of educational practice at its center and focus on carrying research and development through all the…

Approximately 130 community colleges in the U.S. are designated as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). The Census Bureau predicts that there will be approximately 21 million Hispanic residents in the U.S. by 2025. A total of 55% of Hispanic students seeking undergraduate degrees are enrolled in community colleges. Therefore, it is critical that…

This publication describes efforts in the United Kingdom (UK) to develop mutually beneficial, collaborative partnerships between businesses and communities that promote digital inclusion (access to information and communication technologies). Case studies of different kinds of relationships are listed, including UK online centers, schools, events…

The recruitment and retention of Asian computer professionals by Canadian high-tech companies was examined by interviewing 8 Canadian-born information technology (IT) workers, 47 Asian-born IT workers, and 8 human resource (HR) professionals employed by high-tech companies in Ottawa. Of the 47 Asians, 33 stated that they did not know much about…

Since 1990 West Virginia University has offered a distance education program leading to teaching certification and a master's degree in either severe/multiple disabilities or early intervention/early childhood special education. The courses were offered via satellite transmission, but in response to demand for these courses in areas without…

This paper describes the evaluation of high quality learning designs, which are being selected for possible redevelopment in a National Project funded by the Australian University Teaching Committee (AUTC). The project focuses on "Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Their Role in Flexible Learning" and is evaluating…

This directory offers institutional and student data collected from proprietary schools certified to operate under sections 173.600-173.619 of the Missouri state statutes. The data covers 85 Missouri-based private career schools and 18 out-of-state regionally accredited degree-granting institutions: data tables present calendar year 1998…

Noting that computers are reshaping children's lives in profound and unexpected ways, this report examines potential harms and promised benefits of these changes, focusing on early childhood and elementary education. Chapter 1 argues that popular attempts to hurry children intellectually are at odds with the natural pace of human development.…

This is the second in an annual series of reports that summarize financing trends affecting higher education. The report notes that state appropriations to higher education reached $56.7 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2000, an increase of 7 percent over FY 1999, and the largest ever appropriated by states for higher education. The 1999 legislative…

This study is an assessment of the impact of Alaska school librarians on academic achievement in the state's public schools. It examines the direct relationship between such staffing and student performance and identifies selected activities of library media staff that affect test scores. Other conditions of library media center operation were…

Accountability systems target effective school management among other key aspects of the school-improvement process that impact teacher performance. In treating this aspect of accountability, it asks, "What do school improvement plans reveal about schools' responses to accountability and probation?" The school-improvement plan…