How do we know when an educational organization, process, or courseware tool is "innovative"? How do we define the processes that encourage change or the ways in which faculty "develop" new courseware "innovations"? The terms "innovation", "change", and "development" have been overused in so many contexts that they now seem to have lost their…

Communities across the country are grappling with different approaches to improving their schools. Introducing or expanding charter schools is one of the approaches that states and school districts have considered or implemented. Charter schools serve more than 5 percent of public school students nationwide and make up close to 7 percent of all…

Over the last three decades, many studies have been conducted to identify students' preconceptions on various science topics. It is time now for a synthetic study of preconceptions to enhance our understanding of students' everyday cognition and to benefit our effort in developing effective instructional inventions for conceptual change. Through a…

Through contributions from top leaders in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), "Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder" examines the ASD research literature, discusses procedural implications, and makes recommendations for future practice and inquiry. It combines the most recent developments in established practices with newer and…

The authors in this volume share exemplary arts-integration practices across the K-8 curriculum. Rather than providing formulas or scripts to be followed, they carefully describe how the arts provide an entry point for gaining insight into why and how students learn. The book includes rich and lively examples of public school teachers integrating…

As practitioners have expanded their understanding of the types of events that constitute trauma exposure, the epidemiological database on prevalence suggests that childhood exposure to violence may best be framed as a public health crisis. There seems to be little recognition from policymakers and legislators, however, that violence may be the…

Accelerating threats to a sustainable relationship between economic growth and the capacity of the global social-ecological system to support it require that the implications of competitiveness be reassessed. Today, the capacities that underlie economic competitiveness must also be brought to bear on policy and pedagogy to prepare the coming…

The Effective Instructional Strategies Series is a collection of six booklets based on the components used in Pacific Communities with High-performance In Literacy Development (Pacific CHILD), a principles-based professional development program consisting of research-based teaching and learning strategies proven to help improve students' reading…

The hiring of educators in medical schools (faculty who study the educational process and prepare others to become educators) has been one of the most successful educational innovations ever. Starting in 1954, through a collaboration between the Schools of Medicine and Education at the University of Buffalo, the innovation has spread to over half…

"A Guide to Fundraising at Historically Black Colleges and Universities" is a comprehensive, research-based work that brings the best practices and expertise of seminal professionals to the larger Black college environment and beyond. Drawing on data-driven advice from interviews with successful Black college fundraisers and private sector…

Institutions that have organized and centralized their data enjoy an obvious advantage in grappling with strategic planning and other issues. As the drumbeat for accountability, planning, and demonstrating effectiveness to internal and external stakeholders intensifies, the stature and importance of institutional research offices on most campuses…

This article offers practical guidance for educators as they prepare specialists to enhance the lives and communities of older persons through the strategic use of visual media in age-related courses. Advantages and disadvantages of this learning innovation are provided as well as seven approaches for enriching instruction. Resources are included…

"Innovation Abstracts" consists of brief, two-page write-ups issued approximately 40 times a year on topics that contribute to staff development. This compilation represents a selection from the 1984 volume of 22 numbers of special interest to community college faculty, administrators, and staff. The numbers selected are; (1) fragments…

Describes the life and education of Patty Smith Hill and points out her innovative contributions to the theory and practice of early childhood education. (RH)

The teaching of politics and administration has much to gain from incorporating the experimental outlook of the field of Human Resources Development (HRD). Typically, instructors focus on the five goals in political science education (informational, analytical, synthetic, normative, and applied) separately, hoping that integration will occur…