This practicum report describes the development and implementation of a program to increase parent participation in the planning and conducting of activities sponsored by the district-level special education parent advisory committee. Monthly meetings and social events were held to encourage the 250 special education families to be more involved…

A study described the instructional practices and perceptions of K-8 keyboarding instructors in Pennsylvania public schools regarding keyboarding practices. Surveys were sent to 501 school districts, with responses from 416 (83 percent). The surveys contained 19 questions that provided descriptive information about instructional practices and 17…

The Activating Learning in the Classroom (ALC) program at Middlesex Community College (MCC) is a year-long instructional and professional development program in which eight professors representing each college division volunteer to re-develop a course that they plan to teach within a year to promote active learning. The program begins at the close…

This booklet is part of the "Getting to Grips with..." series, which is intended for the general reader who wants to understand important trends in vocational education and training. It is designed to provide the reader with an understanding of the main practical aspects of on-the-job training. The booklet is in two parts. The first…

A project identified as potential dropouts 53 Springfield (Ohio) South High School freshmen and 24 London (Ohio) High School juniors and seniors who demonstrated irregular attendance patterns and poor grade achievement. The 53 freshmen and 15 London High School students were enrolled in a career club, an intervention program to address their…

Many non-speech faculty lack adequate training in oral communication instruction, thus creating a major obstacle to developing programs of oral communication across the curriculum (OCXC). OCXC programs have attempted to ameliorate this problem by providing training programs or consulting/training (CONTRA) programs for non-speech faculty. The…

Issues in school choice are addressed, with a focus on Minnesota. The first chapter presents a rationale in support of school choice, examining school choice as a catalyst for change based on American values. Outcomes of choice include parent influence over state allocation of resources and changes in the roles and responsibilities of educators,…

The Texas Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) Program is an interdisciplinary, interagency program established with the belief that programs working in partnership with parents will best serve the needs of infants and toddlers with developmental delays. Services for the children include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech/language…

The public school system of Montgomery County, Maryland, established a database of more than 1,800 volunteer business and community resources in the areas of science and mathematics who are willing to share their expertise with students and teachers in 154 county schools. Through a grant, a monthly newsletter that highlights this sharing is…

Josephine County School District (Oregon) provided the Applied Communications modules to vocationally oriented students at its three high schools. The project's goal was to improve the communication skills of high school graduates. Each high school presented the program in a different manner; all offered English credit. Hidden Valley High School…

This guide to developing "Activity Days" for gifted children is a product of a New Jersey consortium of eight school districts in Burlington County, New Jersey. Briefly considered are the consortium's philosophy and program rationale. Goals and objectives of the gifted program are specified. The origins of the Activity Day program…

The impact of the School Improvement Through Instructional Process (SITIP) program in Maryland schools was studied. The program encouraged application of research on planned change to implement one or more of four instructional models: Active Teaching, Mastery Learning, Student Team Learning, and Teaching Variables of "content" and…

This report records in outline form major points concerning the emerging field of environmental scanning, noting particularly activities at the University of Minnesota. It includes definitions of environmental scanning; a description of its major components; and an outline of procedural steps to implement it. Further, it outlines the planning…

In contrast to early research (such as Coleman's) that concluded schools could not override influences of the home environment, more current research indicates that schools can make a difference. This paper summarizes those research findings (emphasizing the limitations of the research from the practitioner's perspective) and relates them to new…

The book proposes ways in which programs for gifted and handicapped students can be managed to make the best use of resources. An initial section provides guidelines for administrators who manage gifted programing. Guidelines touch upon the following topics: analysis of current efforts, assessment of staff and program needs, student identification…