Drawing on research conclusions about the process of educational change, this report seeks to demonstrate the importance of understanding the diverse factors that inhibit or enable school improvement efforts. The report focuses on leadership and support in achieving successful change and stresses that principals are but one of several players who…

The curriculum, designed for use with gifted students at the junior high level, presents units of instruction which emphasize the higher level thinking skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. An introductory section explains each of the three higher level skills and presents tasks illustrating each one. Four units are presented, complete…

Story telling is defined as a kind of journalistic documentation, based on directly observable referents, and used to contribute to an understanding of educational problems. In the area of educational research, story telling is part of the genre which includes case studies, ethnography, and ethnology. Story telling describes an environment in…

Reviewing five large-scale investigations of educational dissemination and change, this report synthesizes and consolidates their findings and implications around an issue of common interest to policymakers, program administrators, and researchers: what can be learned from these studies about processes and procedures that facilitate knowledge…

Presented is a review and synthesis of research in science education conducted with students in grades 6 through 12 during the years 1964-78. In the meta-analysis process, eight constructs linked to learning outcomes were used as the theoretical constructs for the literature selection. The constructs include quality and quantity of instruction;…

Several characteristics have been identified as permeating the lives of a great many dropouts. The potential dropout may be several years retarded in reading and mathematics, and is usually plagued by personal, social, and familial problems. Suggestions for stemming the alarming rate of school dropouts include community provision for treatment and…

Describing the "checkerboard" effect of legal jurisdiction over American Indians living on reservations currently operative under Federal, state, and local laws, this document presents a brief synthesis of the legislative history leading up to Public Law (PL) 83-280 and the Indian Self Determination Act of 1975 (PL 93-638). Specifically, this…

A series of six papers, this synthesis of literature on rural development and evaluation offers a starting point for rural development planning and projects from the national to the local level. The current state of knowledge is assessed and application techniques and methods are pinpointed. In the introduction, operation of the Functional Network…

Synthesizing two priority proposals identified by the Indian Education Project of Michigan, this report outlines a proposal for establishing an Indian Education Center (staffed by American Indians and advised by a University Advisory Committee made up of Indian parents and the Indian community) to meet the needs of Indian students and…

The result of a literature survey in the general area of rural-urban migration and poverty, this report presents both a synthesis of current research findings and an annotated bibliography. The synthesis includes a nine chapter discussion of: (1) the rural areas left by the migrants; (2) the decision to migrate; (3) comparative characteristics of…

Based on the available documentation of Title V (Rural Development Act of 1972) rural development programs currently underway in the Western Region (13 states), this report summarizes project endeavors to: (1) improve income and employment; (2) enrich environmental quality; (3) enhance social and health amenities; and (4) improve the quality of…

Based upon numerous government reports and evaluation studies, this report presents: (1) a brief sketch of the Federal involvement in manpower training and employment programs; (2) some impressions of the manpower training and employment programs serving rural Americans; (3) statistical information on the estimated number of rural enrollees, funds…

As a whole, rural New Zealanders are not deprived relative to the urban population, but the differences within New Zealand's rural population are as great if not greater than those among the urban population. A summary of studies on the pattern of social stratification reveals: (1) there is little tradition in New Zealand of separation of land…

The state of Connecticut has introduced a fourth-grade mastery test that assesses thinking skills. The test was developed cooperatively by the state's Department of Education, a testing corporation, and several cognitive psychologists; several alternative models of thinking were synthesized to produce a theoretical foundation for the test. (MCG)

Reviews the historical development of the periodic table, examining major changes due to understanding of radioactivity, synthetic transmutation by bombardment, differences between transuranium elements and the lanthanide series, and the transactinide elements. Discusses the continuing work on atomic synthesis and its importance in extending our…