In an attempt to respond to confusion about--or resistance to--the tutoring requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, the U.S. Department of Education issued guidance outlining what it expects states and school districts to do in supplying the help to needy children. This nonregulatory guidance clarifies the roles of states and school…

We present the design principles for a new kind of computer system that helps students learn algebra. The fundamental idea is to have a system based on the microworld paradigm that allows students to make their own calculations, as they do with paper and pencil, without being obliged to use commands, and to verify the correctness of these…

Student achievement test results are the coin of the realm in educational accountability systems in the United States. For a number of years, both states and the federal government have relied heavily on tests to judge the quality of schools. The exact characteristics of the accountability systems have evolved over the years and vary a good deal…

Changing demography and ensuing incidents of backlash, growing intolerance, and prejudice led a group of educators from seven different schools in two rural counties of northwestern Washington State to organize a National Endowment for the Humanities sponsored series of Holocaust education inservice workshops. The obstacles they overcame in…

A 12-week retention program designed to assist at-risk students with test-taking, study and career skills through individual and group counseling was examined. Sixty-nine percent of the program participants attained a cumulative GPA [greater than or equal] 2.0 by the end of the intervention compared to 43% of the control group. Further, 55% of the…

This article deals with early childhood curriculum models. The author discusses why programs use a curriculum and how programs use curriculum models. She mentions curriculum models that programs are using, such as: (1) The Creative Curriculum; (2) High/ Scope; (3) Project Approach; (4) Reggio Emilia; and (5) Montessori. She also presents the…

"Burnout" and praxis shock seem to be causing teachers to leave the profession early. Much research suggests that this is a reflection on the quality of teacher education programs. Interviews with teachers who were in their first four years in the secondary music classroom reveal how they view their pre-service preparation, and therefore…

This report lays out the design for the Evaluation of Reading Comprehension Interventions, which is assessing supplemental reading comprehension programs for fifth-grade students in Title I schools. The key design parameters are described. The report itself provides the rationale for these decisions and discusses design and measurement issues,…

In 2002-03, a qualitative case study explored the perspectives of 70 stakeholders connected to two community-based adult literacy programs in Manitoba, Canada. Four themes emerged from within-case and cross-case analyses of the data: program design, human relations, community context, and financial support. Instructor-learner and learner-learner…

Blackwell, Futrell, and Imig (2003), in their article "Burnt Water Paradoxes of Schools of Education," present a dismal picture of the challenges and inconsistencies facing schools, colleges, and departments of education. These criticisms have accelerated over the past few years and have been fueled by the current federal government's…

To help teachers develop a repertoire of instructional strategies that will effect positive changes on students' learning outcomes is essential for both general education and the field of gifted education. This article introduces readers to a classroom observation tool that is designed to help assess professional development needs of teachers of…

Project Challenge is a unit of Project Playpen, Inc., in Pinellas County, Florida, which serves children from birth to age 5 who attend child care programs and display mild to moderate degrees of emotional challenge. This program guide describes the activities, structures, and design of Project Challenge to meet the needs of child care for working…

This theme issue of "Coordinators' Notebook" takes a cross-cultural look at how men, as fathers, caregivers, and in other roles, affect the lives of young children. The issue also explores the ways in which educating men about the needs of children and getting them involved in the programming process have strengthened programs that promote the…

Case studies of six successful college-school collaborations designed to prepare high school students for college are presented. The programs studied were: (1) "Early Identification Program" at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia; (2) "College Now" at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, New York; (3)…

These 15 papers cover a wide range of topics and perspectives on the work of Adult Literacy and Basic Education (ALBE) practitioners in Victoria, Australia, in the contemporary ideological and political context. A preface (John Wilson) and introduction (Delia Bradshaw) begin the anthology. The papers are as follows: "...A…