The DEC Recommended Practices provide guidance to families and professionals about the most effective ways to improve learning outcomes and promote development of young children, birth through age 5, who have, or are at-risk for, developmental delays or disabilities. "Teaming and Collaboration: Building and Sustaining Partnerships" is…

Many rural school districts struggling with declining elementary school enrollments will soon face the more complex problems of declining high school enrollment. School districts with only one high school do not have the option of consolidation and must find innovative solutions to the problem of maintaining educational quality with dwindling…

The concept of transition of an individual with a disability from school to adult environments is presented from the perspective of the educator's role. The educator's role is perceived as: (1) an "expert" on the needs of individuals with mental disabilities and the barriers they face when they move from the educational environment to…

This article provides research-based suggestions for developing educational options based on acceleration to meet the needs of gifted students in rural areas. Accelerative options offered by both the home school and universities in Iowa are described. (DB)

To counter elementary school children's ignorance about farming, a 1981 Agriculture in the Classroom Task Force recommended that states create their own groups and awareness programs. This article describes cooperative efforts between private and public sector organizations in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Oregon, and Virginia. An address and…

An Iowa high school's experience with producing a biennial statewide foreign language fair is described. The objectives have been to have students enjoy using their second languages, especially with people to whom they have never spoken before, and to enliven the winter months. Every language teacher and student, as well as others on the staff,…

The report and an accompanying executive summary of a statewide needs assessment on young handicapped children in Iowa examine services available, effectiveness of services, and needed changes. The introduction provides an overview of State Planning Grants, Iowa's history of early childhood special education, and this project's approach to…

This guide describes 79 programs and services for children in Iowa. Each program description usually includes a brief program overview and information on age requirements and eligibility, specific services provided, any mandated services, costs, where to apply, and the responsible agency. The programs are grouped into the following categories:…

Designed for use in Iowa elementary schools, this unit introduces students to Iowa's Amana Colonies. Four lessons cover the history and cultural heritage of the colonies, daily life in historical times, daily life in modern times, and the colonies as a corporate museum. Throughout the lessons, emphasis is placed on the values and organization of…

Scheduled for implementation in 1985, Student Excellence through Educational Development of Staff (SEEDS) is a 3-year cooperative partnership between four rural Southwest Iowa school districts to provide comprehensive, long-term staff development that promises to heighten student achievement through increasing instructional/supervision skills of…

The handbook, intended for school social workers and related services personnel in Iowa who work with behavior disordered students, consists of 21 papers organized into four sections. The first section provides an orientation to behavior disorders in two papers: "Behavioral Disorders in Iowa--An Overview" (Carl R. Smith and Jeff Grimes);…

This report examines the ways that credit-based transition programs (CBTPs) may help middle- and low-achieving students enter and succeed in college. It highlights promising practices used by CBTPs to help students who might have been considered noncollege-bound prepare for college credit course work. The report also discusses the challenges that…

The Leadership Institute for a New Century (LINC) began in 1989 as a consortium formed by Iowa State University, the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees, and the Iowa Association of Community College Presidents. The mission of LINC was to increase the diversity of upper-level administrators at community colleges through developing and…

Readings and activities in this elementary school unit are designed to introduce students to Amish culture. Specific reference is made to the Amish communities in Iowa. Four lessons focus on the history of the Amish in the United States, Amish family life, community life, and customs (such as clothing and occupations) in modern Amish communities.…

This guide attempts to describe an outcome-oriented transition model and planning process that educators, families, and community service providers have found feasible to implement; that results in relevant educational interventions for individual students; and that reflects promising practices in the field of education. The intent is to provide a…