This analysis of data from the 1999-00 Schools and Staffing Survey examined the 50 states and District of Columbia on their progress toward improving teacher quality. States were evaluated on the extent to which they assessed teachers, whether they had less out-of-field teaching, and how they prepared and developed teachers. Results indicated that…

This study examined whether the Chicago Annenberg Challenge promoted improvement in schools it supported and in student achievement and other outcomes; factors that might explain improvement or lack thereof among Annenberg schools; and what could be learned from the Challenge's experiences. It highlighted the period between 1996-1997 through…

This report examines how well minority students are achieving in North Carolina schools. It is intended to inform parents, education leaders, policymakers, and the public about the crisis in North Carolina's public education system. Data show that too many minority students continue to be unprepared for high stakes testing. Scholastic Assessment…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of Tapped In, a multi-user virtual environment (MUVE), in facilitating parent-teacher conferencing. California Lutheran University had received a grant to prepare teachers to use technology and implement distance learning. Participants chose Tapped In, which allowed faculty to meet with preservice and…

The Austin Independent School District (AISD) provides bilingual education and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs for limited-English-proficient (LEP) students. Mandatory evaluation of these programs involved the following: data from the Student Master File (information on each student's grade level, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status);…

The first of this collection of five fact sheets discusses the role of paraprofessionals in educating students with disabilities. The caseload characteristics of paraprofessionals, specific activities of special education paraprofessionals, the kind of training paraprofessionals receive, and supervision and support of paraprofessionals are…

This book is intended to help teacher preparation educators, building level leaders, staff developers, and teacher mentors address school-work patterns in five critical areas that may impact teacher attrition and retention. It supports a view of professional development that fosters the active involvement of teachers in customizing their own…

The Multicultural Awareness Project for Institutional Transformation (MAP IT) was developed at the University of Minnesota's General College with the goal of integrating multicultural education within higher education. As the acronym indicates, the aim is transformative. MAP IT is an adaptation of "Diversity Within Unity: Essential Principles for…

The intent of this "bottom-up" project was to create a community of learners to facilitate the implementation of computer technologies in the elementary school curriculum. The participants were 6 graduate students and their professor, 10 teachers (grades 1-5), their students, and the librarian in a Professional Development School. Each…

In order to address the problems of student success, student retention, and an improved sense of community among students and faculty, Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FCCJ) implemented a three-year project of cooperative learning. The FCCJ Cooperative Learning Project, funded from 1993-1996, focused on changing the culture of the…

In fall of 1989, the Community College of Aurora (CCA) (Colorado) started a program entitled "Integrating the Teaching of Ethics in the Community College Curriculum." Eighty-four faculty members participated in a seminar on the curricular integration of ethics. They then implemented an ethics focus in their courses, affecting…

This report provides the resolutions adopted by the Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges. The resolutions are divided into the following categories and topics: (1) academic senate; (2) accreditation; (3) affirmative action/ cultural diversity; (4) articulation and transfer; (5) budget and finance; (6) state and legislative…

A Teaching/Learning Conference addressed the challenge of facilitating learner adjustment to distance learning. By understanding the concerns of both students and faculty regarding the distance learning environment, professional development specialists may find ways to ease the transition from traditional teaching/learning environments to the…

This paper describes efforts by Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) to develop programs to serve the needs of first-year students, focusing on collaborative efforts across the university system to retain nontraditional and underrepresented students. The School of Liberal Arts Faculty Mentor Program links a first-year seminar…

This paper presents a case study of distance education and professional development in Bermuda, British West Indies. In 1996, the Division of Graduate and Continuing Education at Fitchburg State College (FSC), Massachusetts, entered into a program to provide a Master's of Education program to Bermuda's teachers. The Bermudian Ministry of Education…