To meet budgetary constraints and the rising costs of serials, Eastern Washington University (EWU) has defined a core collection for undergraduate education by linking journal holdings to a specific set of indexes. Describes the EWU core collection, resource allocation to academic departments, and implementation of a document-delivery pilot…

Students and teachers benefit from emphasizing literacy and professional development, not technology itself. Districts must also put learning first, build support, consider alternative delivery systems, provide adequate resources, use assessments to steer programs, shed the ineffectual, remember past lessons, heed research, and ask good questions.…

Describes a virtual project designed at the 1996 Virtual Geography Project Workshop in order to determine if geographically distant students could work collaboratively on an assignment requiring asynchronous communication, joint library research, and hypermedia skills. Explains that the project was initiated and completed during a six-week period…

Describes the role of community transition teams as a mechanism for developing school-family-community partnerships and enhancing student involvement in transition. Discusses challenges and lessons for building and maintaining effective partnerships over time. (Author)

Explores the portfolio process as an evaluation tool for authentic assessment of writing. Discusses (1) current literature related to use of portfolios; (2) the critical elements of the portfolio process; (3) their relationship to the authentic assessment of writing; and (4) effective ways of implementing individual educational portfolios for…

A recent study found no evidence of inadequate state-aid general funding for Oklahoma's mandated elementary class size requirements as they became more restrictive during implementation phases. Over the years, state aid increased on a per-simulated-class basis for grades K-6. State-aid distribution equity also increased. (MLH)

Out-of-level testing in state and district assessments is becoming more popular under the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This practice (and use of different norm-referenced tests) confounds interdistrict comparisons and contributes to inequitable assessment practices. Proper scaling can remedy this situation. (MLH)

Describes experiences of two elementary math teachers, whose dynamic, hands-on teaching techniques were at odds with components of the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS). Despite these teachers' successful efforts, the new Commonwealth Accountability and Testing System (CATS) replacing KIRIS will not contain portfolios. (12…

Suggests that, due to escalating violence in contemporary society, community colleges should offer certificate or degree programs in conflict resolution. Describes a conflict resolution communication program, which teaches communication skills, mediation processes, and coping strategies to prospective mediators. (NB)

Explores why Thinking Skills/Cognitive Acceleration programs have struggled to make an impact, noting that classrooms are resistant to the kind of change these programs demand. Considers five constructs of teacher development (socialization, craft knowledge and expert-novice, "pedagogical" content knowledge, images of teaching, and…

This article describes the Kentucky Teacher Internship Program, a year long supervised internship that provides support and assistance to all of Kentucky's first-year interdisciplinary early childhood educators by a team of resource teachers, principals, and teacher educators. Implementation challenges are discussed, as well as suggestions for…

Prevention and intervention research studies often fail to include an assessment of program integrity, and when they do, it is often examined in a limited way. Further, despite efforts to reform the intervention research process to include community stakeholders more actively in every phase of investigation, current practice generally employs a…

Dalton et al. (2001) described the field of community psychology as focused on the interdependent relationships of individuals to communities and society, committed to generating valid knowledge that is useful to communities, and involved in research and action through collaborative partnerships with individuals and communities. These principles…

This article presents a step-by-step, empirically validated method for designing, implementing, and evaluating a formal social skills intervention based on specific skill deficits as identified by the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS; F. M. Gresham & S. N. Elliott, 1990). The 6 steps include: (1) identifying students for participation; (2)…

Indiana State University?s (ISU) foreign language requirement curriculum serves as a model for the 21st century. Unique to the program is an emphasis on integrating the common goals of general education and multicultural studies with the development of critical thinking skills to reach overall objectives of communicative competency, cultural…