The strengths of continuing education academic programs--offering courses in nontraditional patterns to attract adult students--bring them into conflict with the traditions of a research university. At issue are the qualifications of the faculty, the students, the quality of the education, and the appropriateness of continuing education's…

Investigated cognitive, academic, and psychosocial variables associated with success in alternative high school for emotionally and behaviorally disturbed youth. Findings from 32 students revealed that psychosocial variables (family pathology, duration of disturbance, age of admission) were associated with success, whereas cognitive and academic…

New research raises questions about the assumptions and effectiveness of traditional instruction in light of women's experiences. An alternative approach--feminist pedagogy--encompasses teacher-learner collaboration, cooperative communication styles, a holistic approach to learning, theory building, and action projects. (SK)

National Technological University, a consortium of 29 universities linked with industries and government, offers a master's program in management of technology. The program consists of 6 semesters of courses delivered via satellite and 7 1-week residencies with a final student project. (SK)

Describes the Blacks' struggle for educational improvement in South Africa through alternative education. (JOW)

Describes a Ugandan student's first-year experiences at the Open University in the United Kingdom. Discusses how the University operates; comments on course texts and supplementary materials; and presents a month-by-month breakdown of university and course activities and requirements. (GEA)

Only one overriding issue faces today's educators: the transformation to communication learning systems that will make schools obsolescent. Educators must involve their communities in "imagineering" the long-term future and dismantling the existing system, with its seven period days, ABCDF report cards, group-paced instruction, and…

Discusses the rigorous testing by students which must be undergone by new social workers at an alternative school for adolescents. Describes one social worker's successful handling of students' distrust of new persons and fear of rejection. (SAK)

Describes computer conference courses in special and general relativity that use a text-based remote computer conference setting in which students receive assignments, exchange messages with other students and the instructor, participate in discussions, and submit answers to exercises. Discusses possible reasons why these courses have not worked…

The use of unconventional interventions in special education is addressed, and teachers are urged to stick with data-based interventions that have empirical evidence supporting their effectiveness. (DB)

Education programs in institutions for young offenders often focus on the medical or deficit model of treatment. Youth are diagnosed, and then traditional content and methodology is administered in settings determined by structure and policy, and not the needs of the students. Suggests reclaiming the rich history of proactive prison education.…

In 1991, the Iowa legislature enacted dual-enrollment legislation allowing Iowa's home-schooling students to enroll in their district for academic programs, participate in extracurricular activities, and use the area education agency's services. This article tells how a home-schooling parent worked with a principal to create a program serving 37…

Wymore Career Education Center offers an alternative that will meet the academic, personal, social, and vocational needs of students who have failed in traditional programs. The program works because of committed teachers and administrators who are trained to work with at-risk students, have chosen to be at Wymore, and are willing to spend extra…

Tech prep is a major shift in the direction and depth of education. Its success depends on nontraditional delivery methods and technically competent teachers committed to students and to the program philosophy. (SK)

Describes a 10-week workshop at an alternative high school in New York City that explored how words come into a language and that involved students in writing their own reference books of words not yet in any dictionary (their "personal dictionaries"). Contains a 22-item annotated dictionary source list. (RS)