This study, conducted by the Basic Research and Implementation in DevelopinG Education Systems (BRIDGES) Project, demonstrates a relatively inexpensive way for governments to increase the effectiveness of their teaching force. The report describes distance teacher education programs in Sri Lanka and Indonesia as being cost-effective (the low…

The following papers are included in these proceedings: "Weaving Technology and Human Affairs" (B. Hazeltine); "Positivist and Constructivist Understandings about Science and Their Implications for STS Teaching and Learning" (B. Reeves; C. Ney); "A Modular Conceptual Framework for Technology and Work" (D. Blandow); "A Time of Uncertainty: The…

This report describes three model demonstration projects in Ohio school districts which focused on strategies for identifying students gifted in visual and performing arts and delivering hands-on arts education and appreciation experiences. Presented for each program is information on: identifying characteristics (district, location, school…

A survey, completed by 15 professors of English, indicated a fundamental lack of student critical thinking skills within their department, and a 90 percent discrepancy in teacher training with only 10 percent of teachers having received formal training. This paper describes a workshop designed to educate and motivate the English professors in a…

This sourcebook provides ideas and training activities for school administrators who want to develop technology staff development programs. The book is organized into five sections that include: getting ready for change and understanding technology; planning, implementing, and institutionalizing a technology staff development program; and special…

An Oklahoma program trained preschool teachers to interact with families of Seminole and Chickasaw children enrolled in Head Start. The program focused on integrating American Indian culture and mathematics. Head Start staff were trained in developmentally appropriate mathematics instruction, with an emphasis on employing culturally relevant…

Louisiana's state education agency (SEA) was mandated to provide appropriate services for children with attention deficit disorders, by developing statewide training for representatives from public school districts and by selecting and implementing four pilot programs. The SEA implemented the pilot programs, provided an informational training…

This practicum was designed to train special education teachers and paraprofessionals at a private, special education facility in ways to identify precursor behaviors and antecedent events eliciting maladaptive behaviors in children with developmental disorders and behavior disorders. Staff were given five inservice sessions (totalling 10 hours)…

A study examined teachers' reading habits and attitudes. Subjects, 204 educators who were enrolled in classes or a for-credit reading workshop in the northern Illinois area, completed a 32-item survey to determine their reading habits. Respondents were primarily elementary teachers who had earned at least a bachelor's degree and who had six or…

Colorado's Alternative Teacher Program, mandated by the State in 1991, enables persons with bachelors' degrees to enter approved alternative teacher certification programs developed by school districts, boards of cooperative services, independent schools, and institutions of higher education. The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) issues a…

A comprehensive approach to the supervision and training of teaching assistants (TAs) in the proficiency-based classroom might include a pre-service workshop, in-service methodology courses linked to appropriate teaching assignments, and systematic observations and evaluations of their performance as instructors. An intensive pre-service workshop…

A project developed at Indiana University of Pennsylvania was designed to meet the needs of secondary school teachers of French and Spanish in two areas: proficiency maintenance and improvement, and proficiency testing. The program consisted of four phases, two during the funding period and two follow-up. The first, proficiency-building, involved…

A two-semester sequence of courses in French and Spanish for science and technology at Eastern Michigan University responds to alumni demands for better linguistic and cultural preparation for increasingly global business and industry. In addition, high schools teacher enrolled in the courses find they answer a need for professional upgrading of…

This paper presents training recommendations for educators involved in the care of medically fragile children. The training guidelines span the preservice, inservice, and leadership training levels. The guidelines focus on: how personnel training can reduce fears related to serving children with specialized health needs, what type of curriculum…

This report presents the results of a study conducted with 449 Tennessee educators that investigated the use of educational technology in the state's classrooms. The Tennessee Education Association, as part of its Tennessee Teachers' Technology Initiative, funded in part by a grant from BellSouth, collaborated with the Appalachia Educational…