Jon Scott, former department chair at the State University of New York at Albany, discusses his early education in the Modern School Movement, transition to public school, college experience, and opinions on the deficiencies of higher education. (SAS)

The University of Florida's Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) has offered on-site and distance education courses in agribusiness management, horticultural sciences, and agricultural education and communication since 1998. A survey of current and potential students at IRREC was recently conducted which examines preferences for…

Pre- and post-tested students sent to an alternative school for carrying weapons in regular school who received anger management training infused into the curriculum. Ethnographic field notes were used to examine staff and student reactions to the intervention. Significant reductions in willingness to fight and improvements in ability to control…

Fourteen educators went Scottish island-hopping on a 100-year-old sailing boat to learn journal writing and new techniques in outdoor learning, gain confidence for teaching about controversial issues, and experience creative education in general. This narrative of their journey eloquently captures the essence and power of experiential, outdoor…

Discusses three electronic conferencing tools that apprentice novice learners and encourage them to interact and grapple with alternative perspectives. Technical details of each tool are described, along with 1 instance where all 3 technologies were united, resulting in a highly interactive conversation shared by over 30 people at 4 different…

A survey of adult learning opportunities in Belfast, Northern Ireland, found an emerging sector of community and voluntary organizations offering programs emphasizing issue-based, action-oriented learning in a democratic participative culture. They offer alternatives to traditional formal providers of liberal adult education. (SK)

Highlights developments at the Center for Distance Learning at the State University of New York's Empire State College. Describes two types of instructional applications: (1) the textbook, course guide and tutor as the primary mode of instruction, with a technological tool/activity as an additional assignment; and (2) the textbook and course guide…

Argues that current changes in the educational climate require transformations in community college organization. Discusses operational, linear, and frame-breaking approaches to change, arguing that all are important in making the transformation to high-performing institutions, or institutions that can manage both incremental and revolutionary…

Provides data on the availability of and enrollment in public alternative schools and programs for at-risk students, entrance and exit criteria, staffing, curriculum services, and collaboration. Findings are based on a questionnaire completed by representatives of 1,534 public school districts. Part of the Fast Response Survey System. (SLD)

Details a survey study examining the operation of 29 Montessori charter schools in 9 states. Reports findings related to the school population, founding and governance, funding, facilities, mission, special features of the program, student achievement, primary benefits or advantages, constraints or problems, and assistance the programs would like…

A study examined the admission criteria and measures of success for 40 nontraditional respiratory care students. The findings revealed a prediction model for 3 indicators of success: program average, clinical performance rating, and credentialing exam scores. (Author)

The problems of education stem from system design, not faulty operation. Traditional education is based on autocratic principles, or order without freedom. The innovative Individual Education design, based on democratic principles, gives students control over their own learning and promotes the development of responsibility, respect,…

The loose smorgasbord distribution requirements and free electives of the '60s, have given way to more proscribed requirements and core programs. General education is a response to a need to reaffirm the connectedness among people. The agenda for general education is to teach those common experiences, relationships, and ethical concerns. (MLW)

Reflects upon the attributes of children's republics relative to the preparation of children for life outside the family. Argues that it is theoretically possible to incorporate the basic elements of children's republics into the institutional framework of the public school if educational policy fosters self-administration and shared…

Dayton (Ohio) Public Schools have two new programs for potential dropouts, called University Prep Program and New Options for Work, that take the students out of classes with younger students and treat them as the young adults they are. (MLF)