This paper presents an overview of the inservice model used by the National Science Foundation supported Project INLAB (Integrating Laboratory Instruction and Assessment) to challenge and change science teachers' laboratory instruction and assessment practice. The framework that guides the instructional strategies and activities of INLAB is based…

In an effort to establish a quality middle grades teacher education program that would be responsive to local needs, the Middle Grades Education (MGE) faculty at Georgia's Valdosta State University implemented Reality 401, a field based program, in Fall 1992. The program is a senior year teacher education program designed to provide a…

The Running Start program was created by the Washington State Legislature in 1990 to allow qualified 11th and 12th grade high school students to take college-level courses at community and technical colleges. In the 1994-95 academic year, 7,418 high school students were enrolled in college classes through the program, representing about 3% of the…

This report presents findings of a case study of the education of second language learners in a middle school of approximately 2,000 students undergoing middle school reform in California. The purpose of the study was to gain an understanding of the challenges faced by a school experiencing rapid demographic changes in a predominantly…

Designed to enhance curriculum building for educators who wish to introduce into their classrooms some ideas about Asian philosophy and spirituality, this annotated bibliography centers on Eastern traditions emphasizing holistic or universal consciousness. The bibliography of multicultural literature highlighting holism in the writings of Eastern…

A counselor at a rural high school in New York reflects on her career and addresses issues facing rural school counselors. She chose a career in school counseling based on her interests in education, community involvement, and adolescents. As the only high school counselor for 280 students, she soon realized that rural youth faced many of the same…

This theme issue focuses on issues related to high Texas dropout rates among Hispanic and other minority group students and on dropout prevention strategies. "School Finance Inequities Mean Schools Are Not Ready To Teach" (Maria Robledo Montecel) deplores the recent Texas Supreme Court ruling that state educational funding is…

This activity unit tells the story of Prince Rama from the Hindu legend, "Ramayana." The story is retold in language appropriate to grades 5-7. Accompanying activities include: (1) "Reviewing Familiar Myths"; (2) "Developing Skills Through Literature", which includes activities on character and symbolism, values and…

This guide provides information about how middle schools can promote the development and education of adolescents, especially about how they can focus students' attention on career opportunities and training. It also offers families some ideas about how they can encourage their children's career awareness, and it presents some criteria for parents…

The long-term effects of employment during high school were analyzed by using National Longitudinal Survey of Youth data on 1,067 students who were initially interviewed in 1979 and who remained in the survey sample through 1991. Hours worked by respondents during the week prior to the survey date in their sophomore, junior, and senior years of…

This practicum project was designed to increase student ownership of learning through student-kept assignment calendars and portfolios. The subjects, 63 junior high school students at a private Christian school, were also involved in frequent, cooperative sessions in which they checked each other's work and offered suggestions, with reports to the…

This paper presents the latest in a series of studies examining school district report cards. The purpose was to study the relationships among factors reported on school district report cards from Nevada high schools. The 44 categories reported on Nevada's 1993-94 report card represent the study's independent variables, grouped into the areas of…

This guide presents a curriculum comprising 36 lesson plans designed to develop a more inclusive school community at the middle school level. The manual was designed by a task force that involved special and general educators representing students of all ages and types of abilities. The goals of the curriculum are, first, to develop positive…

This guide provides information and instructional materials on the history and culture of the Wabanakis of Maine and the Maritime Provinces (Canada). The Wabanakis include the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, Micmac, and Abenaki peoples. The curriculum was designed for grades 4-8 and is divided into four sections. The first section provides…

This document describes a curriculum model that aims to help students gain a sense of stewardship toward their community and an appreciation for their heritage. At the Sense of Place Symposium, Iowa teachers and administrators worked together to develop an interdisciplinary curriculum framework that would connect students to their communities. The…