The bulk of the most innovative and widely noted research over the past 20 years has fallen into the category of social history. It adds a list of new topics to the understanding of the past and a sense of excitement that traditional history instruction lacks. It has the potential of bringing a wider range of students toward an interest in…

Section 20-2-250 of Georgia's Quality Basic Education (QBE) Act, passed in March, 1985, provides for three types of innovative activities: developmental projects, training center/dissemination projects, and adoption projects. This part of the Act is administered by the Georgia Department of Education under the Innovation Program. The activities…

This essay discusses impediments to student success in today's urban schools and recommends solutions for the future. The following problems are covered: (1) overcrowded classrooms; (2) student behavioral problems; (3) lack of instructional materials; (4) outdated facilities; (5) inadequate school library collections; (6) low teacher salaries; (7)…

This statement summarizes the results of a 2-year study on assessing long distance learning by telecommunications. Supported by a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, the study focused on the rapid development and use of telecommunications to offer postsecondary education, and the need to ensure the quality and…

Discusses the need to teach information skills (as opposed to library skills) in elementary and secondary schools and describes some of the curriculum policies and courses developed by schools in the United Kingdom and Australia. (CLB)

Reviews the history and conclusions of school effectiveness research, which focuses on student achievement, and of school improvement research, which emphasizes educational innovation per se; analyzes the methodologies of these two lines of inquiry. Distills from both bodies of literature seven school characteristics that constitute excellence.…

As Boston and other cities across the nation enter a second decade of education reform, the attention of school and community leaders, as well as of parents, is turning to the learning potential provided by after-school hours. This paper explores the potential role of project-based and experiential learning in transforming the learning…

This report outlines emerging paradigms of service for mentally retarded adults emerging from a nationwide search for innovative programs and practices. It was prompted by the consistent finding of a Pennsylvania longitudinal study that mentally retarded school completers tend to live indefinitely with parents or guardians. The study found the…

This collection of 10 essays is the outgrowth of a 1983 Accrediting Commission meeting which examined the implications for accreditation of the "Green Chair Group" report entitled "Predicting Distant Education in the Year 2001," an earlier document containing the predictions of 25 educators and executives concerning…

This handbook presents annotated "snapshots" of 10 innovative family literacy programs, almost all of which were begun by an individual with a vision of a new way to solve a demanding educational problem. Profiles depict, in terms of background, characteristics, evidence of success, and advice to policymakers and practitioners, the: (1)…

For education to respond to the new technologies that offer tools for mind expansion, the concept of information itself must be redefined. Instruction via electronic sources is a very different way of learning than instruction by print: electronic instruction is highly interactive, under the user's control, and full of imagery. Imagery is the…

In order to facilitate the transition to a multiracial community and to meet the prevailing desire for academic excellence, magnet schools have arisen in urban areas throughout the country. These schools meet racial quotas through voluntary enrollment and open access, promote integration through cooperative learning practices, emphasize personal…

The results of several studies of the humanities and social sciences in undergraduate engineering education are presented and discussed. The first chapter explains the value of humanities and social sciences coursework and describes briefly some of the obstacles confronting efforts to improve it. The second chapter summarizes the findings of two…

Although some aspects of the educational effects of computer assisted instruction (CAI) are still unclear, some research findings are now quite definite. Two meta-analysis reviews of CAI have been completed at the University of Michigan, one on secondary school teaching and one on college teaching, and their findings have been independently…

Two complementary strategies intended to achieve a strengthening of the American educational system within the next 5 years and a transformation of that system within 10 years are presented in this report. The shorter, 5-year strategy targets conventional schools and is intended to help raise student achievement and professional competence. The…