This report describes a program created specifically to address the fact that individuals with disabilities, especially girls, have been widely under-served and under-educated in the areas of science, math, and technology. The "Daughters with Disabilities" project was designed to encourage more girls with disabilities from five inner-city schools…

This collection of papers examines the premises for changes to the curriculum and the manner in which those changes are reflected in the development of schools in Finland and England. The papers provide an intrinsic context for integrating language and content. The book begins with a foreword, "The Challenges of Curriculum Development and the…

This document contains the fall 1999, fall 2000, and winter 2000 issues of "Technology and Teacher Preparation." The fall 1999 issue describes NCREL and its Higher Education Initiative; contains a faculty profile focusing on engaging science educators with technology; and describes tenth-grade students' efforts to measure the Coon River…

This policy brief draws together research, ideas, and initiatives on improving teaching quality, especially materials from states in the Mid-Continent Regional Educational Laboratory's region. It is intended to help policymakers think about which policies might foster improved teacher quality and how to combine policies into an integrated strategy…

The population of school-aged English language learners (ELLs) has consistently and significantly increased over the past decade, transforming U.S. public schools, instruction, and teacher preparation. This digest discusses the need for increased numbers of teachers of ELLs and the particular linguistic and academic characteristics of ELLs. It…

This policy paper provides information about issues surrounding the education of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) student populations, noting that preparing non-English speakers to survive in English-dominant schools and society is more complex than current policy debates would suggest. The paper stresses the need for teachers who can…

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 final report describes the activities and outcomes of a federally funded program that was designed to address the shortage of qualified early intervention personnel in rural areas of Kansas and adjacent states. Forty-seven early childhood special education (ECSE) students were supported with stipends during the three years of the project.…

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 study investigated the characteristics of instructional leaders that positively influenced classroom teaching, noting the personal and professional effects of leader-teacher interactions and whether staff development emerged as a primary theme of effective instructional leadership. A group of 809 teachers nationwide provided detailed…

This study evaluated a science professional development initiative developed by the Delaware State Department of Education, examining the nature of professional development activities, their effect on science classrooms, and their impact on teachers, students, and schools. The Science Van Project integrated technology and inquiry into Delaware's…

Teacher shortages, new technologies, and vocational certification demands are directing attention to the need for professional development of vocational education (VE) teachers. VE teachers can use various strategies to enhance their performance and effectiveness through professional development. Worksite experiences give VE teachers opportunities…

This collection of papers focuses on teachers' personal and professional development, showing what teachers' learning, hopes, desires, struggles, and instruction look and feel like from inside the lives of effective teachers and in their classrooms. Topics include the types of resources and experiences effective teachers use, how these resources…

This document contains 34 lesson or project plans written at inservice workshops focusing on integrating workplace skills (i.e. SCANS [Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills] and career awareness into the K-12 curriculum in Columbus (Ohio) Public Schools. The lesson and project plans are loosely organized by grade level. Each lesson…

This paper is based on observations of ten middle and high school science teachers in a multimedia workshop during the fall semester of 1997 in a large Northeastern public university. The workshop objective was implementation of multimedia technology in teachers' classrooms. The following methods were employed in this project: multimedia portfolio…