Presents a checklist for departmental self-study. Considers the role of aims, courses and programs, faculty, students, resources, and operations. Addresses many different considerations within these ideas. Draws conclusions focusing on strengths, areas of concern, and unrealized opportunities. (SG)

Advises educators on how to address the learning needs of Latino students. Includes understanding the issues, valuing Latino strengths, adopting culturally sensitive pedagogy, and examining society's unexamined norms. (Contains 21 references.)

Describes a two-semester numerical methods course that serves as a research experience for undergraduate students without requiring external funding or the modification of current curriculum. Uses an engineering problem to introduce students to constrained optimization via a variation of the traditional isoperimetric problem of finding the curve…

Presents procedures for weather studies as exciting and relatively simple research projects for students to perform. Expects that students gain an accurate view of the scientific process in addition to real-world experience as they face challenging setbacks and make unexpected discoveries along the way. Includes cross-curricular applications.…

Case study of urban middle school response to school state reform initiative describes how administrators and teachers chose to focus on improving nonmagnet students' academic achievement by increasing opportunities for their teachers to participate in professional development. Teachers created a set of innovative curriculum programs for…

Proposes a model for teaching oral interpretation as a literacy-based course for helping students to become more effective consumers, critics, and producers of "texts." Discusses two different sections of oral interpretation the author recently taught--the first focused on a traditional structure, and the second focused on the literacy-based model…

Describes PACE (Portfolio, Assignments, Content, and Evaluation), an advertising curriculum model in which students work on real advertising campaigns. Explains that students form account groups which locate products needing promotional assistance. Identifies the goals of the curriculum to be competent writing and practical understanding of…

Examines the general challenge of proficiency-oriented methodology as applied specifically to beginning Russian-as-a-Second-Language teaching. (Author/OD)

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,…

Provides an interdisciplinary framework for the study of education. Speculates on an appropriate definition for education to be used by all social scientists. Reviews early organizational efforts of the profession and notes the growing inclusiveness of the field. Recommends improved scholarship and formulation of educational policy.…

A survey of predoctoral pediatric dental programs gathered information about changes since 1980 in total and topic-area didactic curriculum hours, percentage of topic area material updated, and frequency of clinical procedures used. Results suggest significant change during that period. (MSE)

When developing scope and sequence documents for gifted education, program level planning and classroom implementation must be aligned. This article discusses methods for: organizing to accomplish curriculum alignment, matching the gifted program goals and activities to those in the general curriculum, and selecting materials for a gifted…

A discussion of language curriculum design for promoting learner autonomy looks at the objectives of such a curriculum, the learning implied by those objectives, and the function and relevance of the learnings. (Author/MSE)

Includes three papers from a panel on the teaching of medieval legal history held at 1985 American Society for Legal History: (1) "Medieval Legal History in the Core Curriculum" (J. Muldoon; D. Humphries); (2) "Teaching Early Medieval Law: A Comparative Approach" (J.A. Brundage); and (3) "Medieval Law and Society: An…

Describes how the Ohio Department of Education developed its art curriculum, the Balanced Comprehensive Art Curriculum (BCAC). Going beyond the traditional studio art approach, the program requires students to respond and express themselves in three areas: personal development, artistic heritage, and art in society. (KM)