The purpose of the final report on the Montana Beginning Teacher Support Program (BTSP) is to provide a comprehensive description of all phases of the program as it was conducted from 1992 through 1995. The purpose of the BTSP was to study the effect of a formal mentorship relationship between master teachers (mentors) and teachers in their first…

The resource constraints and increasing demands mandated by state and federal programs have made it difficult for rural and small schools to provide a developmentally appropriate education for all their students, but especially for middle level students, many of whom have been identified as "at risk." This paper focuses on recent research in the…

This monograph addresses the role of gifted education in total school improvement by describing three service delivery components (the Total Talent Portfolio, Curriculum Modification Techniques, and Enrichment Learning and Teaching) and several organizational components of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM). The report describes how the SEM can…

This curriculum is intended to provide social service agencies, schools, vocational programs, and other groups concerned with persons having developmental disabilities with guidelines and practical techniques for developing training and support services that encourage choice-making. Emphasis is on allowing people with disabilities to take as much…

This paper presents a social reconstructionist model of supervision. The model connects schools and society, and considers the vital role teachers, students, staff, and others play in developing, designing, and implementing reforms in school and society. The model is based on the philosophy of social reconstructionism, which views schools as…

Research on beliefs about second language learning based on a model designed by Elaine Horwitz is reviewed. The model is incorporated in the Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) developed for students of English as a Second Language, college students of commonly taught languages (French, German, Spanish), and college teachers of…

It is proposed that a paradigm for training English-as-a-Second-Language teachers based on the educational philosophy of Paolo Freire would provide a more humanistic approach to the education of minority language groups. Freire's writings are reviewed, focusing on his plea for greater consciousness about the rights of others and the political…

This paper summarizes a research study on women in three programs designed to recruit, retain, and graduate persons of color at the University of Minnesota. The literature on mentoring is reviewed in terms of social integration, academic integration, a supportive institutional climate, and quality mentoring. The study used qualitative case study…

This third edition of a writing handbook that is built on the underlying themes of critical thinking and writing across the curriculum moves into the next generation with extensive coverage of electronic research and document design. It also contains many examples, exercises, and student papers in all categories. The handbook's chapters on…

The PipeLINK program seeks to attract and retain women and girls in computer science careers. Aimed at girls and women from the high school through the Ph.D. levels, the program suggests activities to aid participants at each level, connect students with role models and mentors, and provides an introduction to a wide variety of computer science…

This monograph summarizes the current thinking in the national literature on the subject of cost-containment and productivity in higher education and applies findings to higher education in California. It presents a framework for characterizing the major factors driving higher education costs, outlines potentially promising areas in identifying…

A study investigated factors affecting the development of positive attitudes toward environmental issues among college students, focusing on the direct and indirect effects of student background characteristics, institutional characteristics, and college experience and outcomes variables. Data were drawn from the Cooperative Institutional Research…

The Center for Technology in Education (CTE), a partnership between Johns Hopkins University and the Maryland state department of education, developed a model for teaching autistic students that integrates technology-based instructional and behavioral supports into existing curriculum. The goal is to promote student gains in communication, social…

This paper reviews the background of and compares three particular approaches to reflective professional development, specifically as used by Far West Laboratory: case methods, the Peer Assisted Leadership process, in which peer partners observe each other, conduct reflective interviews, construct leadership models, and explore alternate ways to…

This document, which was developed for use by the participants in a national staff development videoconference on making sense of the issues in family and adult literacy, contains useful information and resources for literacy program staff who are considering making changes in their literacy programs. The document consists of the following:…