It is argued that teacher assessment should be extended to include students' learning gains. The conditions that must be met for such an assessment system to be implemented are described, and some alternative strategies for extending the focus of teacher evaluation and program evaluation to include student learning are discussed. (SLD)

The mental health needs of children and youth with learning disabilities and their families were studied in a survey of 79 human services directors in the Toronto (Canada) area. The study illustrates the importance of involving relevant communities in planning for community needs assessment and program implementation. (SLD)

Studies differences in the involvement in talk in classroom situations and the nature of that talk for boys and girls in mathematics/technology and language group work. Results with 15 classes of children aged 4 through 11 years give a picture of the effects of the group's gender balance. (SLD)

Describes a decision-making lesson where students rank genetic defects and syndromes from least to most severe. Students are then asked to draw a line in the continuum where they would not feel obligated to support the life, or in the case of an in utero life, maintain the pregnancy. (PR)

Describes various studies and projects on computer-mediated communication for enhancing second language learning and culture education, examining their impact on participating elementary, secondary, and college students. Results indicate that e-mail and teleconferencing provide authentic communication and foster awareness of languages and…

The University of Michigan's Detroit Community Outreach Partnership Center fields student-faculty teams who work on community-development projects with community organizations. Projects are designed to enrich students' experiential learning and build communities' organizational capacity. The relationship has exposed a culture clash between…

In this study, native speakers assessed 30 students' gain in Spanish skills over a seven-week period of study in Mexico. Results indicate that 22 improved significantly in some aspect of Spanish. Students, especially beginners, who reported more informal interactive contact showed greater gain; beginning and advanced students reporting more…

Discusses the development of three different curricula for teaching conflict resolution to students in the Israeli public schools. Explains curriculum goals, presents eight examples of available teaching technologies appropriate for students in different age groups (e.g., peer mediation and second-language learning), and discusses creative…

Uses recorded data from a recent classroom research project by an English-for-Academic-Purposes class in South Australia to describe an interview process that allows nonnative-speaking learners to experience authentic oral interaction with native speakers. The interview process also provides opportunities for reflecting on the linguistic and…

Four sections of an undergraduate pharmacy communications course were randomly assigned to include either a traditional laboratory project or a service-learning project. Data collected late in the semester revealed significant positive changes for the service-learning participants in cognitive complexity, social competency, perceived ability to…

Examines the implications of information technology and networking for schools in the future. Highlights include qualitative and quantitative challenges; demographic changes; lifelong learning; strategic alliances between schools and other organizations; and teachers' roles and skills, including continuing education. (LRW)

Reports a study that tested the possibility of language instruction in a MOO (Multiple-User Domain, Object-Oriented). The experiment consisted of two groups: adult evening-school participants in Germany learning English-as-a-Second-Language and American college students in their fourth semester of college German. Partnerships were formed with one…

Investigated whether the threshold-level hypothesis could be applied to a three-language-in-contact school situation. Looks at one of these three-language-in-contact school situations in the Basque Country of Spain, a bilingual community where both Spanish and Basque are official languages and are therefore taught in school. (Author/VWL)

Focuses on acquisition of English by speakers of Jamaican Creole. Examines historical data drawn from reports from the colonial period and highlights the systemic failure of pupils to acquire English. Discusses a recent investigation of secondary schools in postcolonial Jamaica, which finds a similar cycle of underachievement among Creole…

Discusses various initiatives in Canadian schools and universities that involve new ways of learning with technology. Teachers today can and should use new technologies, such as online services, to transform their teaching methods and create the desire in young people to be lifelong learners. (Author/CDS)