The open classroom program instituted in 1973 in the elementary schools of Grand Haven, Michigan, continues to grow although similar experiments elsewhere have failed. Six critical factors in the program's success have been community support, orderly transitions, freedom of choice, proven skill development, student satisfaction, and parent…

The City Magnet School in Lowell, Massachusetts, involves parents in policymaking, the principal and teachers in curriculum-setting and budgeting, and the kindergarten to eighth-grade students in defining the design and operation of the simulated "real world" society that forms the context in which the school's educational efforts occur.…

Describes the designs and the rewards in four elementary reading incentive programs. Offers tips for starting a reading incentive program. (IW)

Urges implementation of a 48-week school year offering an optional fourth quarter that could be used for remediation or enrichment. Describes the impact of such a year on students, on parents' schedules, on teachers' salaries and schedules, and on administration. Considers factors affecting public acceptance of such a change. (PGD)

The Mt. Bethel Elementary School in Marietta, Georgia, cooperated with the Chattahoochee Nature Center to develop a nature trail in a neighboring wooded lot. The program used the school's current science curriculum, depended on students to construct the trail, and involved direct teaching and inservice assistance from nature center personnel. (PGD)

Describes various projects that are part of a movement to return geography to a central place in the curriculum of America's schools. Focuses on the Geographic Education National Implementation Program (GENIP), sponsored by the National Geographic Society and other geography interest groups. (IW)

Describes the successful operations of a middle school's experimental Student Study Center, designed to utilize inschool suspensions as educational and social rehabilitation programs for at-risk students. (IW)

Provides examples of many innovative ways principals can establish a "reading climate" in their schools. Includes ways to involve parents, community members, school libraries, and teachers in reading enjoyment programs. Discusses some of the most successful techniques for teaching reading. (IW)

Describes the purpose and operations of two Duke University programs for gifted students. The Talent Identification Program aids students in schools primarily within 16 states in the Southeast, Midwest, and Southwest. The Precollege Program involves middle and high school students in a Summer Residential Program. Seven references are appended. (IW)