This digest describes the development of the standard middle school and its impact on rural areas, discusses the original goals of middle schooling, and suggests how rural schools can meet these goals despite their small size. The earliest middle schools were innovative rural junior high schools that enriched their programs with additional…

In the light of significant changes in contemporary society that demand high level thinking skills of professional workers, this monograph explores the nature of independent thinking and principles of teaching independent thinking, particularly to college freshmen. A section on independent thinking outlines abstract, creative, and systematic…

Summer school is thought to be an effective alternative delivery mode for Chapter 1 education. The effectiveness of summer Chapter 1 programs was studied during Fall 1993 in 68 Chicago (Illinois) public schools. Students who had been in fourth grade in 1991-92 were divided into a group that had received Chapter 1 help during the school year and…

This guide is a collection of practical ideas for teaching vocabulary and vocabulary development skills to learners of a second language. Most are contributed by teachers of English as a Second Language, but the activities may be appropriate for teaching other languages. Each idea is described briefly, with information given about appropriate…

This practicum aimed to provide nonverbal students with a communication program to increase expressive language for daily living skills. Target students were four children (ages 6 to 7) with cerebral palsy. The practicum involved introducing children to pleasurable activities that encouraged communication behaviors, showing the children…

Intended as a resource for student seminars, this guide describes the seminar process and provides suggestions for making seminars more productive. First, the learning objectives of the seminar process are listed, indicating that students should gain the following skills: group interaction, integrative discussion, critical evaluation, and…

This paper shows how visual media may be used in the high school and college classroom to foster analytical, communicative, and interpretive skills traditionally developed through reading. It suggests that L. Joplin's (1985) 5-stage experiential learning model and Anita Covert's (1980) EDIT system can be used to teach a range of media. It…

As the world has moved from the industrial age to a technology-based society in which individual and societal competence is paramount, the focus of educational systems must shift from the basic ABC's to Competency-Based Education (CBE). Educational priorities must be continually revised to meet competitive and ever-changing workplace demands and…

EQUIP is a new and effective program that motivates and equips them with social skills young people with antisocial behavior problems need to help themselves and one another. This book provides all the material needed for understanding and implementing the EQUIP program. The first chapter develops the rationale for EQUIP, introduces its basic…

Around the world, schools are central to the social and cultural shaping of the young. They inculcate the skills, subjectivities, and disciplines that undergird the modern nation-state. The case studies in this volume demonstrate a new direction for critical educational research as they demonstrate social reproduction and cultural production and…

The Monitoring the Future survey of high school seniors, the Longitudinal Study of American Youth, and the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 were used to provide information about adolescents' time use, their risky behaviors, and the outcomes of time-use patterns in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. Spending significant portions of…

This project involved an approach that allowed students to take on greater responsibility for learning by using collaborative skills and habits of mind which resulted in better awareness of their own thinking. The targeted population consisted of students in growing upper-middle class suburban communities, located west of Chicago, Illinois. The…

Visual learning has long been recognized as an integral process in educating biology undergraduates, who must develop specific visual skills and knowledge in order to communicate and work in the extensive visual culture shared by practicing biologists. Student experiences with field observations and the development and application of verbal/visual…

Many times, young people can make a significant impact on their communities. An example of this potential is evident in the Minnesota statewide youth program, in which at-risk youth rebuild their neighborhoods. The program enables young people to gain job skills while working toward their high school diploma or GED, to play a respected role in…

This curriculum guide, based on the position that career education is a major focus of the educational program, is designed to assist students with disabilities to become productive workers and independent adults. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the history and importance of career education for children with disabilities. The features of career…