This booklet commemorates the General Educational Development (GED) Testing program's first 50 years. Included are the following: (1) a description of a GED graduation; (2) reminiscences of three GED administrators; (3) success stories from five GED graduates; (4) descriptions of eight special GED programs; (5) an explanation of how the GED system…

Partnerships between schools and the private sector as an alternative to increased taxes and service cuts are examined in this document. The introduction provides an overview of business involvement in U.S. education. The second section describes the private provision of infrastructure and types of school-business arrangements. Examples include…

The National Education Commission on Time and Learning (NECT&L) is authorized by Public Law 102-62, the Education Council Act of 1991. The Commission is holding a series of hearings across the United States to examine the quality and adequacy of study and learning time of elementary and secondary students. This paper summarizes the evening…

Change theories provide administrators with helpful insight into the "whys" and "hows" of successful magnet program initiation and implementation. Educational change involves two determining factors: direction (movement) and rate (speed). The actual process of change can be divided into phases of adoption, implementation, and incorporation.…

This book describes the 27-year-old Hyde School and its innovative family-school partnership. The school focuses on the development of character as a prerequisite to academic achievement. It strives to instill the following values in its students: courage, integrity, leadership, curiosity, and concern. The founder of the school, Joseph M. Gauld,…

Each of the four papers in this collection is concerned with open learning in one form or another. "Open Learning: Some Current Perspectives" (Ian Barnard) addresses the topic of open learning in general, commenting on contemporary views and developments, and defining the term as a collective for approaches and practices that focus on…

This document is a summary and evaluation of the methodological procedures and results of the full-scale implementation of the Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Study, 1990-92 (BPS). The BPS starts with a cohort of students beginning postsecondary education regardless of when they completed high school. As a result, information will be…

Developed as part of a symposium on alternative learning and teaching methods for high-risk learners at all grade levels, six papers are presented along with an introduction by Sharon La Pierre. "What the Arts Teach: Comments on the Arts, Cognition and Learning" (Elliot Eisner) discusses the ways in which the arts teach qualities not addressed in…

Issues in school choice are addressed, with a focus on Minnesota. The first chapter presents a rationale in support of school choice, examining school choice as a catalyst for change based on American values. Outcomes of choice include parent influence over state allocation of resources and changes in the roles and responsibilities of educators,…

School choice legislation initiatives and their impact on school choice at the local level are compared in this survey of over 1,000 superintendents in Minnesota, Iowa, and Arkansas. Provisions of state statutes for school choice implementation in Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska are briefly described. Survey findings indicate that school…

This position paper on the concept of an international high school is primarily concerned with two questions: (1) What constitutes a "region"? (2) What are the ingredients of a "center"? Demographic changes and declining resources are serious obstacles confronting efforts to create new institutions, and logistical demands are underrated by…

The Education Voucher Demonstration began in the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District during the 1972-73 school year. Under the voucher concept, parents freely select a school for their child and receive a credit or voucher equal to the cost of the child's education that is paid directly to the school upon enrollment. It was presumed that…

Eight alternative educational programs that are part of the Portland, Oregon, Public School District are reviewed in this report. Responses from principals and program coordinators at each school to a comprehensive questionnaire provide information concerning staffing, student characteristics, facilities, course offerings, expenditure per student,…

The problem of grade inflation and explanations for this phenomena are considered. Grade inflation is described as the positive change in grade point average of large numbers of students generally, over an extended period of time. The following array of causes or explanations are discussed: awarding high grades so that a student could go to…

Argues that the present is both the best and worst of times for the nation's non-public schools, that the "aid question" interferes with the public's appreciation of the contribution of non-public schools, that numerous Federal and State laws and Court decisions recognize the legitimate rights of non-public school children and their parents, and…