A project to develop instructional and evaluative procedures for special classes of intellectually gifted students in grades four, five, and six was developed as part of California Project Talent. Two demonstration programs were observed over a 3-year period; the two classes were all-day, full-week programs for children with an IQ of 130 or over.…

The Committee on Social and Behavioral Urban Research was asked to advise the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) on elements of its long-range research and development program (R & D). Federal, state, and local governments have had access to only small amounts of relevant social and behavioral science knowledge or small numbers of…

This document focuses on five major themes: (1) What's Right and What's Wrong with Vocational Education, (2) Technology for Elementary School Children, (3) Setting Performance Objectives for Learning, (4) A Practical Program for "Real" Learning, and (5) Vocational Guidance: An Unfulfilled Challenge. It is recommended that vocational education…

This revised and expanded version of "Modern Foreign Languages: A Counselor's Guide" discusses questions about foreign language study often asked by high school students. Spanning more than half the guide, the appendixes treat specific topics: (1) languages spoken by more than a million native speakers, (2) programs and publications (exchange,…

In order to determine whether Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) had the capability of producing a TV series of high technical quality with content that met criteria designed for the selection of children's television programs, a pilot tape produced by AEL was submitted for rating to educational television (ETV) specialists from the State…

Management-by-objectives (MBO) focuses attention on objectives stated as end accomplishments rather than the activities which bring about those accomplishments. MBO identifies eight major areas of management which become involved in the process: (1) planning, (2) performance appraisal, (3) individual motivation, (4) coordination, (5) control, (6)…

In this paper, the author attempts to clarify several implicit hypotheses about local school finance reform, set up tests whereby hypothesis validity can be affirmed or rejected, and outline the policy implications of the results. Two mathematical models of school district behavior are examined, and their implications are tested on a sample of 150…

The modern school media center is a learning laboratory whose function is to enrich, to vitalize, and humanize the educational program. Relating the library program to today's educational goals, this book details the design of the media center and the role of the library media specialist in curriculum development and support. Chapters are devoted…

This paper describes the procedures and results of a pilot study of a computer-based System of Interactive Guidance and Information (SIGI) which was designed to help community college students make rational career decisions. A number of the important features of the system are summarized in terms of the source of the value dimensions used in SIGI,…

Under the Intensified Learning Plan (ILP), the school year was organized into trimesters. Students focused on fewer subjects for longer daily periods than usual. Results of tests, questionnaires, and conferences were used to measure the accomplishment of criterion objectives. The majority of parents, students, and teachers prefered the ILP, with…

The Admission Index, created from high school counselor ratings of academic promise and motivation, is recommended to admission officers and college counselors as a variable as good or better than those traditionally used from the cognitive domain. This index was found not only to be substantially valid and consistent as an achievement motivation…

Because of their enormous memory banks, computers can be of great help in planning curriculum and instruction. After a teacher has determined the subject and objectives of a course unit, computers can retrieve a list of resources appropriate to the particular subject matter and to the students (e.g., materials, activities, teaching procedures, and…

This paper is based on two premises. The first is that there are five conditions of readiness which determine the success or failure of educational innovations such as that of mastery learning. These are: (1) The desire to change the status quo, (2) a systematic management process, (3) effective leadership, (4) a receptive teaching staff, and (5)…

This booklet is one in a series which describes a competency-based teacher education program developed by the staff of the Department of Vocational and Applied Arts Education at Wayne State University. This booklet discusses instructional systems and accountability, which are two important facets of the program. Part I describes a model of the…

The manual, to be used by the itinerant resource teacher, presents teaching objectives and proficiency levels for the development of communication, living, and social skills of visually handicapped students in kindergarten through grade 12. Communication skills are enumerated (number is indicated in parentheses) for totally blind students in areas…