Three studies used interspecies adoption stories to examine children's understanding of the role of birth in determining animal properties and species identity. Found that most 4- to 7-year olds could reliably judge that babies would be of the same species as birth parents, but were unable to attribute properties of adoptive parents. (Author/KB)

Discussion of the low use of Web resources in K-12 classrooms focuses on a study that tested the hypothesis that teachers who discussed how to use Web resources during computer-mediated communications would have higher attitudes toward the use of Web resources in their classrooms than teachers who did not. (Author/LRW)

Describes a project that attempted to attenuate negative attitudes of humanities faculty toward remote shelving by providing faculty with direct access to online systems containing records for stored titles. Survey results indicate that faculty attitudes toward the library improved and the use of the remote shelving facility increased. (Eight…

The teaching profession can benefit from the examples of medicine and law by incorporating truly specialized professional knowledge into educational practice. Educational research should be acknowledged to have comparable validity with research in hard and soft sciences. The communication of research findings to practitioners will improve…

The study described here attempted to operationalize adopter characteristics identified by research and assess their relationship to the adoption and implementation of health innovations in schools. Surveys of second-grade teachers after the introduction of a new health promotion program identified three components of teacher views that measured…

Explores the historical development of adoption and fostering attitudes and practice in Britain, noting the influence of socioeconomic class, of the stigma of illegitimacy, and of national economic prosperity in child welfare trends since the Middle Ages. (HTH)

Discusses planning strategies for the use of educational technologies and distance learning programs. Topics include the National Information Infrastructure; planning for educational change, including planning models and examples, long-term versus strategic planning, systems planning, incrementalism, and outcome-based education; and developing a…

Describes the Fresno Amicus Program, a program of volunteer, court-appointed advocates who assist in cases of abuse and neglect involving minority families. Also describes an outcome study of the program. In the amicus group, significantly fewer children were placed in long-term foster care than in the comparison group. Significantly more children…

Examines how the aquarium has attempted to move from a transfer view of knowledge to a constructivist approach in its most popular general public program--the killer whale presentation. The process of change that staff underwent is similar to conceptual change processes among learners of science. Describes constructivist strategies of conceptual…

Describes the role that school administrators should play when adopting integrated learning systems (ILSs). The school district superintendent's role in the decision-making process is described, including identifying institutional needs, networking configurations, and training and support needs; and the facilitative and supportive role required of…

Describes the results of a needs analysis conducted to determine the requirements of teachers who wish to restructure their classrooms. The development of Strategic Teaching Frameworks, a hypermedia system to aid teachers and administrators in adopting new approaches to teaching, is explained; and tools and resources needed for change are…

Describes issues currently faced by the U.S. Office for Civil Rights. These include: (1) managed care; (2) implementation of nondiscrimination requirements in adoption and foster care; (3) acquired immune deficiency syndrome issues; (4) national origin nondiscrimination; (5) welfare-reform concerns; (6) children's health insurance; and (7)…

Presents a parenting construct with criteria for differential child-protection solutions (confidential adoption, adoption with contact, and out-of-home placements). Proposes that parents' moral aspect be central in child-protection judicial proceedings. Suggests that this construct may facilitate line between assessing or accusing parents and…

The successes and disappointments encountered in two programmatic efforts to incorporate effective instructional practices for students with learning disabilities into mainstream classroom activities are highlighted. The lessons learned from these two examples lead to implications for researchers and practitioners interested in improving…

Examines the developmental, familial, and peer deterrents that form barriers to adoption placement, based on interviews with 17 teen mothers in a residential facility. Analyzes responses based on an Eriksonian developmental model, and notes the role of family "cutoffs" and "re-admissions" and peer pressure as deterrents to…