This study investigated differences between student teachers prepared in Iowa State University's contextual teacher preparation program (Project Opportunity) and student teachers prepared via traditional teacher education. Project Opportunity offered college-school collaboration and extensive field experiences at alternating rural, urban, and…

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of graduate students regarding the time spent in taking a course via the Internet compared to taking a class in the "regular" classroom. Graduate students completed a course in research on curriculum and instruction taught entirely via a Web-based program and email. Students would read…

This paper reports outcomes from a development and evaluation effort focused on a specific World Wide Web-based learning environment (WBLE) for school library media specialists (SLMS). Background information is provided explaining how the decision to create a WBLE for the SLMS course was derived. The three main groups contributing to the WBLE…

This study examined the social networks of teachers' strong and weak ties and the impact of those associations upon their beliefs about the realities of elementary education in terms of the knowledge and skills that influenced those realities: school context, general pedagogy, specific subject matter pedagogy, nature of the learner, and self as…

The American Association of Community Colleges' Beacon College Project (BCP) uses funds from the Kellogg Foundation to award two-year grants to "Beacon" community colleges to form consortia with at least five associate colleges, designed to improve a specific aspect of institutional life. A total of 26 projects, many involving community…

The keynote addresses introduced conference participants both to general perspectives on school choice and to a specific focus on Maryland issues, concerns, and problems. In the panel discussion, four educational administrators discussed particular aspects of choice plans in their own subdivisions in different states. In the six discussion groups,…

This paper analyzes the relationship between levels of educational attainment and outcomes for African American males, in particular the likelihood of conflict with the criminal justice system. The analysis begins with a look at society's belief system and political and economic forces, and argues that these have combined to promote failure among…

The 1992 component of Emergence of Vocational, Technical, and Occupational Education (E-VTO) focused on preparing strategic thinkers in vocational, technical, and occupational education (VTO) for building learning communities. The E-VTO seminar was one of the two seminars that comprised the VTO specialization of Nova University's doctoral program…

Educational reform efforts to date in the United States have not been germane or responsive to the social problems of African American children. The reform efforts advanced to date have only been exercises in tinkering around the educational edges. Our educational focus, the origin of which is outlined, must shift in at least two major ways.…

This book explores the hidden world of the continuation high school and analyzes the factors that limit its success. In particular, gender issues in these schools are examined: the different ways girls and boys slip in and out of the system, the different reasons, and the different consequences. The history of the continuation school and the…

The Illinois Board of Higher Education created and charged the Committee to Study Underserved Areas with the task of examining the issues and developing recommendations concerning areas of the state in need of additional educational services. Specifically, this committee report discusses the following concerns: (1) the Board of Higher Education's…

A study examined the effects of educational interventions of conflict resolution and cooperative learning on adolescent vocational readiness at three inner-city alternative public high schools in New York City. The study used a combination of correlation design and pre-post design. Associations among study variables were explored using pretest…

Ten tables, four graphs, and summary discussions of salient statistics present pertinent information on dropout and high school graduation rates for Colorado public schools for the 1989-90 school year. Tabulated data, along with illustrative figures, indicate: (1) graduation rates by ethnic/racial group, gender, and size of school district; and…

This article tells the vocational education success story of the Southern California Regional Occupational Center (SCROC). The success of the program results in part from the fact that it is not a high school in itself, but a program that brings together youth from various locales and mixes them with adults taken from the working population in the…

This book provides information and guidance to rural community members for improving their schools through community involvement. It encourages new ways of thinking about the purposes of education, the roles of schools, and methods of teaching and learning. After establishing the purpose and need for community involvement in rural small schools,…