Early years classroom practice in Northern Ireland is perceived to be dominated by a traditional teacher-directed model to the detriment of a more constructivist, play-based and child-initiated learning environment favoured in many nations' early education provision (see for example Walsh, 2000). In 2002, the Northern Ireland Council for…

The emergence of Foundation Degree programmes in response to employer workforce development needs provides a rich environment for the study of undergraduate curriculum innovation in the context of cross-sector partnerships in post-compulsory education. This article presents the findings of a case study of foundation degree development by consortia…

In this article, the author discusses small learning communities (SLCs), a term that is used to refer to the practice of organizing secondary schools into smaller units. Features of SLCs include small structure, curricular specialization and choice, a focus on the learner and learning, and, in particular, the active and collaborative nature of…

The study of learning environments provides a useful research framework for investigating the effects of educational innovations such as those which are associated with the use of the Internet in classroom settings. This study reports an investigation into the use of Internet technologies in high-school classrooms in Australia and Canada.…

The Science and Mathematics Alliance for Recruiting and Retaining Teachers (SMARRT) is a collaborative partnership pursuing aggressive strategies to recruit high quality minority teachers to teach in high-need schools in urban school districts. This partnership is dedicated to recruiting, preparing, and retaining high quality teachers with strong…

This comprehensive resource is an invaluable aid for adding a global dimension to students' understanding of American history. It includes a wide range of materials from scholarly articles and reports to original syllabi and ready-to-use lesson plans to guide teachers in enlarging the frame of introductory American history courses to an…

The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) is pleased to release its sixth annual report on the "Enhancing Education Through Technology" (EETT) program, a component of the No Child Left Behind, Title II, Part D (NCLB IID) Act. The purposes of the NCLB IID program are to: (1) improve academic achievement through…

This document records the oral and written testimony of more than 50 witnesses who testified in a series of hearings held by a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on establishing a streamlined top quality and efficient system of work force preparation for young people and dislocated workers. The hearings focused on what the federal role…

Computers have become one of the expected trappings of today's classroom, and schools have exhibited an insatiable appetite for hardware; but systemic curricular integration of computers is still more of a promise than a reality. Resources have been allocated and spent, but many students and educators remain technologically illiterate. Section 1…

In an effort to improve access to education and to better serve residents of its 600 square mile district, Waubonsee Community College (WCC), in Sugar Grove, Illinois, utilizes telecourses, audiocourses, and live classes via microwave transmission to deliver instruction. Video and audio courses utilize prerecorded instructional materials,…

The charter-schools movement provides the opportunity to observe whether granting schools freedom from most state regulations actually produces more freedom for school administrators and teachers, and whether this autonomy produces other distinctive outcomes. This report summarizes findings of Southwest Regional Laboratory's (SWRL's) statewide…

Over the years, situated and observational learning has given way to mass teaching and theoretical learning based on prose information. Even though schools have produced many successful professionals, they often fail to address individual differences in learners and encourage competition rather than cooperation between learners. As a result, many…

Teachers in 12 Kentucky schools were surveyed to determine their attitudes toward school based decision making (SBDM). The 228 subjects included teachers at SBDM schools as well as non-SBDM schools. A Likert scale survey instrument, designed to solicit information specific to the adopted Kentucky SBDM legislation, was administered to teachers in…

Illinois Senate Joint Resolution 173 resulted in the appointment in 1994 of a 53-member Work Group on Early Childhood Education. This group was mandated to report to the Senate on the development and implementation of a statewide early childhood education and care program. The group identified key issues, delimited legislative objectives, offered…

This package contains four videotapes: "Process-Oriented Learning" (27 minutes); "Developing Cooperative Citizens" (23 minutes); "Culturally Sensitive Learning" (27 minutes); and "Technologically Competent Learning" (16 minutes). The videotapes are accompanied by a 23-page manual, "Guidelines for the…