The fact that most elementary school teachers are female provides a key to understanding why there are often attempts by state bureaucrats, industry, and academics to control the curricular and teaching practices in classrooms. It also explains why these externally derived controls are often transformed by teachers once they are in their…

Focuses on possibility that correlations between measures of environment and child devleopment can be mediated genetically as well as environmentally. Proposing an elementary model to test this hypothesis, data from classical adoption studies and new data from the Colorado Adoption Project are used to illustrate the model and provide quantitative…

Identifies recurring limitations of instructional technologies often overlooked by proponents, examines barriers to educational innovation and the political context of change, and presents guidelines for optimizing instructional technologies and consolidating change. References are made to educational technology articles and texts throughout.…

This paper is a history of the adoption and implementation of "The Web of Life", an inquiry based biology course for senior secondary students in Western Australia. It focuses on the period from 1965 to 1990, outlines the issues at the time, events, and timeline of implementation and reflects on inquiry teaching and learning. It is a…

The Child and Family Service Reviews (CFSR) conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services are a critical step towards improving the nation's child welfare services. However, although the federal emphasis on outcomes has helped to accelerate state interest in performance measurement, both the federal effort to measure performance and…

The process of adopting new innovations has been studied for over 30 years, and one of the most popular adoption models is described by Rogers in his book, "Diffusion of Innovations" (Sherry & Gibson, 2002). Much research from a broad variety of disciplines has used the model as a framework. Dooley (1999) and Stuart (2000) mentioned several of…

This study at the State University of West Georgia examined barriers and influences to faculty adoption of technology into instruction. The sample for the study was the 348 full-time faculty at the university. A survey was designed to determine the faculty's self-reported knowledge and use of technology, factors influencing their use of…

This paper describes Virginia Polytechnic and State University's efforts to effectively adopt emerging technologies on a general basis. The various systems that come into play in this context are discussed, including the macro-system (the university itself) and sub-systems (departments and programs). Introduction of a compensating sub-system,…

Discusses the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 which provides for subsidized adoption. Examines subsidized adoption from the perspectives of social policy and practice and draws on empirical findings to identify issues that need to be addressed. (Author)

Citing events of the 1970s and 1980s, the author discusses the doctrine of "complete separation between state and religion," and why it may no longer be an absolute standard in the American mind. (JM)

A study was conducted to determine the effects on teachers of participation in an interactive research and development project. The project involved classroom teachers, university researchers, and staff developers in collaboratively conducting the research and disseminating the findings. (Author/PP)

An intensive teacher inservice model using "field-based" clinical instructors was conducted at a Houston, Texas, school in cooperation with a Teacher Corps project. Inservice consultants explained and demonstrated new teaching skills and also worked with teachers on the classroom level. Methods that proved most successful for…

The CLER (configurations, linkages, environments, resources) Model for planned change was evaluated to determine whether it could be applied in school settings, using empirical data from two recent national school improvement studies. While the model was applicable, it did not seem sufficiently precise to be, in itself, a powerful tool for school…