This directory offers a sampling of 74 programs that offer alternatives to traditional special education models for children with disabilities and at-risk children. The programs are classified into nine broad categories of program designs and emphases: (1) alternative curriculum/instructional strategies; (2) instructional management systems; (3)…

"Connections '95" focused on educational collaboration and change and the process of becoming a professional. Following the introduction, "Creating the Context: Connections '95" (C. Miller and M. Sakari), the 16 conference papers are presented. The papers are: (1) "Taiga and Tundra: Art and Culture in a Changing…

As the negative effects of traditional approaches to the problems of at-risk students have become known, several promising new trends have been recognized. First among these is the belief that all students benefit from raised expectations. A curriculum that builds on the knowledge and strengths students bring to school can capitalize on the…

A study was done of the efficacy of Project Reach, an alternative school program for seriously at-risk students attending the Socorro High School in the Socorro Independent School District (Texas). Program participants were those who had reached the pre-expulsion stage prior to admission. The program goals were to prevent dropouts or expulsions…

The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it describes "Teachers for Chicago" (TFC), an alternative entry program into the teaching profession aimed specifically at developing teachers for urban schools. Second, it examines how novice teachers in the program were influenced by university coursework, mentor teachers, and the…

This study examined the effects of non-traditional instructional methods on student learning in an engineering course at the University of Texas at El Paso. The summer 1993 material selection course enrolled 33 students, the majority of whom were Hispanic Americans. Instead of the traditional lecture method, the course employed student project…

This handbook is designed to help further education colleges in Great Britain plan for those changes that will make them more flexible and learner centered. Section 1 describes the process according to which content is organized. The Current Profile Checklist in Section 2 can be used to obtain a profile of the college's flexibility and learner…

This publication documents the ongoing efforts of the Government of Nepal to train primary school teachers using a multi-faceted distance learning system. At the heart of this system are radio broadcasts designed especially for untrained primary school teachers. A case study of the Radio Education Teacher Training Project (RETTP) is presented in…

The four issues of the journal SKOLE published in 1997 contain articles, personal narratives, and interviews about small alternative schools, home schooling, educational history, the deficiencies of public education, and educational philosophy and innovations. Major articles include: "The Creatures They Are: Children Becoming Their Nature" (about…

This paper describes a methodology for approaching the problem of migrating a course from the classroom to the World Wide Web. It proposes that there are four main learning modes in the classroom--traditional oral and visual (passive) presentation, student involvement in demonstration of the theory, student led practical exercises, and reference…

The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York has one of the highest student retention rates of any community college in the country, graduating more than 62% of those enrolled. Nationwide, community college retention rates average 35%, and at some colleges, attrition is as high as 70%. While community colleges provide access to education…

Developers of distance education courses need to determine the best and most efficient delivery systems. Traditional print-based correspondence courses are thought to prevail in the technological age because of inertia of administrators and instructions, but it is important to know the preferences of the adult learners who are the usual…

This paper is a summary report of a study of the effects of training in conflict resolution and cooperative learning in an alternative high school in New York City. Three of the school's four campuses participated, with Campus A receiving conflict resolution training, Campus C receiving cooperative learning training, and Campus B receiving…

The effectiveness of a peer leadership program connecting senior high school students with at-risk, new eighth-graders in seven Atlanta (Georgia) high schools is evaluated. The program trains the peer leaders in leadership and group dynamics and then places pairs of leaders with 10 or 12 advisees for weekly meetings. The study population includes…

This paper evaluates STRIVE, an alternative program designed to provide a nurturing, caring, and intensive academic environment for over-age, low-performing ninth grade students attending the Barbara Jordan High School for Careers in Houston (Texas). STRIVE operates in isolation from the regular student population and has a counselor and four…