In the last decade, the questioning of traditional teaching and learning methods and instructional systems and the search for more effective alternatives have gained momentum. Recent trends are grouped and discussed, including individualized instruction, multimedia instruction, peer teaching, student evaluations of teachers, teacher training…

An evaluation was conducted of educational opportunities offered by in-district alternative education option programs for at-risk students who have dropped out or are at risk of school failure in the Portland Public Schools, Oregon. This interim report describes the evaluation plan, purpose, and methodology, and highlights enrollment, attendance,…

The author describes her experiences teaching a computer-enhanced Modern Poetry course. The author argues that using computers enhances the concept of the classroom as learning community. It was the author's experience that students' postings on the discussion board created an atmosphere that encouraged student involvement, as opposed to the…

Social theory defines "ritualism" as the communal act of accepting the legitimate means to achieve while rejecting the goals. The innovative-school community accepts the goals; however, the legitimate means are rejected. Ninety-three teachers were surveyed in a high-performing high school and a low-performing high school to determine the…

While much has been written about the theoretical basis for constructionism attempted in more traditional school settings, the Constructionist Learning Laboratory at the Maine Youth Center (the state facility for adjudicated youth ages 11-21) offers the first opportunity to document a full-scale implementation of constructionism in an…

For-profit schools are serviced by commercial companies whose primary goal is to raise student achievement to a designated level within a period specified by contract. Different school systems are discussed along with their positive and negative points. Questions related to possible issues are presented in each case for consideration. Reasons for…

This quantitative study compared two groups of community college students who were studying elementary statistics. The control group consisted of 38 students in two classes during the fall of 1998, and the treatment group contained 40 students in two classes during the spring of 1999. The treatment group participated in ten data collection and…

A growing number of charter schools are being designed, launched, and operated by community-based nonprofit organizations (CBOs). This resource guide is intended to target a priority technical assistance need: creating and sustaining a healthy relationship between a new charter school and a founding community organization, leading to the creation…

Distance education is an area of rapid growth at the university level, especially within the colleges, schools and departments of education (National Center for Education Statistics, 1999; United States Distance Learning Association, 2000). However, there are some faculty who are not jumping on the bandwagon and are taking a more conservative…

This dissertation examines the impact two technology-based delivery systems--telecourses and Web-based instruction--have on the student's learning experience, compared with an equivalent classroom-based instructional method. The sample was comprised of 78 students from Lakeland Community College in Ohio. All of these students were enrolled in Math…

This ERIC Digest describes the development and characteristics of vocational universities (VUs) in China. In response to the demand for increased numbers of trained technical workers in the 1980's, VUs developed and the higher vocational education system in China was reformed. Currently, 101 vocational universities are in existence in China. These…

"Looping" is a practice that allows single-grade teachers to remain with the same class for 2 or more years. Organized in a question-and-answer format, this book answers 72 questions about looping commonly asked by teachers and parents, including questions about its benefits, disadvantages, and implementation. Chapters include: (1) "What Is…

Home schooling is the formal instruction of children in the home instead of the school. This pathfinder guides readers to useful sources of information about home schooling, and is intended for any public library setting. The resources have been evaluated and chosen to answer basic questions and to serve as entry points into the greater body of…

Online or distributed learning is becoming an increasingly popular method of delivering higher education. In this paper, the effectiveness of online teaching using a virtual classroom environment is examined. Also examined are techniques that college professors can use to make their students feel involved in the class as a community. An example of…

The purpose of this paper is to determine the effectiveness of computer-based instruction to deliver cross-cultural education to agriculturalists. A quasi-experimental research method known as a nonequivalent control-group design was employed to compare and contrast the effectiveness of delivering a cross-cultural module via traditional classroom…