The traditional, closed model of program development is being replaced in many places by local problem-solving groups. These community groups involve democratic decision making and require new skills of educators--listening, reflecting, and making inferences about needs. (SK)

Reviews the current use of electronic media in distance education, emphasizing Canadian examples. Examines broadcast television, videotape, satellite, telephone, radio, audiocassette, and computer. Discusses trends in media use and institutional development, focusing on education as communication and on the importance of combining different media.…

Similarities in special education services in the five Scandinavian countries include their normalization philosophy and cooperative policy development. Among unique Scandinavian innovations are camp schools, folk high schools, toy libraries (lekoteks), therapeutic communities or collectives for young substance abuses, and measures to combat…

Pupils can learn better from each other than in some normal classrooms. This article explores current knowledge about "peer tutoring" and suggests how peer tutoring can help special groups of students and how it can be organized. (Author/TE)

To meet increased technical demands, alternative engineering and technical degree programs are needed, such as four-year programs in engineering technology. A technical college and university in Florence, SC, are collaborating on such a 1+2+1 alternative degree program. (SK)

Describes the evolution of Harper Alternative School, which serves disruptive, volatile, and seriously emotionally disturbed students who could not be managed within regular schools in Houston, TX. Through a process of constant change and refinement to meet students' needs, the school has developed a model that is successful in serving even the…

Investigation and study of the mutualities among andragogy, interactive courseware, and distance education will benefit educators in providing adult learners with the most effective education; knowledge gained will ensure that instruction is consistent with the principles of andragogy and capitalizes on the merits of courseware. (AEF)

An off-campus MBA program involved 467 nontraditional students in individual assignments and 2 intensive weekend classes. Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores, undergraduate grade point average, and work experience were the best predictors of success in the program. For those admitted as exceptions, GMAT score and undergraduate…

Traditional high schools don't work for some teenagers with serious behavior problems. This article summarizes programs at three alternative high schools in Texas, Kansas, and Iowa. The Texas program has a basic curriculum and some strict rules but functions like a college. The Kansas program offers entrepreneurial training, and Waterloo, Iowa's,…

A survey of enrolled students and withdrawers from a certificate program at the University of Exeter showed that this type of provision is meeting the needs of adults who have not previously benefited from higher education. (SK)

Deborah Meier, coprincipal of Central Park East Secondary School in New York City, never uses "alternative" to describe her school, because that term implies that traditional schooling is acceptable. Creating smaller schools, granting parental choice, hiring intellectually curious teachers, and discussing what it means to be educated are…

A survey shows that California's charter-schools movement is being shaped by the special features of the state's charter law--exclusive local oversight and ambiguous legal status. Each school must negotiate how it handles its local school board, teachers' unions, and lack of start-up funding and technical assistance. Most charter schools seek…

An intensive summer doctoral program in nursing was assessed using data from 20 summer students and 10 faculty, as well as 34 regular students and 11 faculty. Summer students found the program satisfying but stressful; program interventions did not affect stress levels. Regular and summer students differed in long-term goals. (SK)

A Cambridge, Massachusetts, alternative public school has devised a Student Support Team to assist families in trouble or in crisis situations. Close connections with the state's Department of Social Services, the city hospital's Haitian Mental Health Unit, the Cambridge School Volunteers Program, and Harvard University student volunteer programs…

Studies and identifies those teaching behaviors that foster critical thinking in an outdoor physical education environment. Discusses the roles a teacher must fulfill to stimulate critical thinking. Provides additional implications of the study for teachers in all areas, including nontraditional classrooms. (HB)