To successfully reach out to a diversity of learners requires substantial support. The Digest addresses some sources of support intended as a complement to and a scaffold for teachers and administrators who experiment with different ways of meeting a diversity of learning needs. It highlights ways in which classroom teachers and learning center…

This Digest looks at recent research, and then asks and considers some important questions about choosing a handwriting program for young children, i.e.: (1) which alphabet is developmentally appropriate; (2) which alphabet is easier to use; (3) which alphabet is easier to read; (4) which alphabet is more easily integrated; (5) which alphabet is…

When computers are relegated to a single room in a school where children use them only occasionally, their potential impact on children's learning is minimized. When computers are integrated into the curriculum and are applied to real problems, however, children gain the ability to use computers as natural tools for learning. For example, when a…

This digest discusses the issue of safe, disciplined, drug-free schools, one of the six national goals for American education established as a result of the February 1990 education summit. The importance of including substance use in comprehensive school health education (as well as other content areas of the curriculum) is stressed, noting that…

This digest provides some guidelines for developing partnerships between schools and outside service agencies and suggests some roles that teachers can play in the process. The successful provision of service depends not only on administrators, but also on people in direct contact with students, including classroom teachers. School administrators…

This digest is concerned with the need to develop standards and infrastructure for improving the employment, placement, preparation, and supervision of paraeducators in inclusive general and special education classrooms, Title I, multilingual/English as a Second Language, and early childhood programs. It discusses teacher responsibilities for…

Between 1960 and 1975, demands for competent two-year college administrators led many universities to develop specialized leadership programs or to incorporate leadership development curricula into existing programs. The skills needed to maintain and improve a system, however, are not necessarily the same as those that were required to establish…

The 1989 Charlottesville Education Summit of the nation's governors resulted in the National Education Goals which describe six priorities (readiness for school; high school completion; student achievement; world leadership in science and math; adult literacy; and safe, disciplined, and drug free schools) for public schools to achieve by the year…

The incidence of multiple births has increased dramatically in the past two decades. Given this trend, it seems reasonable to assume that many teachers will have twins and other multiple siblings in their classes at some point in their classroom careers. This Digest offers some pointers for educators facing the challenges of educating multiples.…

In the past several decades, individuals have been responding more actively to political and personal pressures to identify with a specific group that shares their background. For many people of mixed racial, ethnic, and cultural heritage, making such an identification is complicated. It is important for society to foster the positive development…

In the situated learning approach, knowledge and skills are learned in contexts that reflect how knowledge is obtained and applied in everyday situations. As an instructional strategy, situated cognition is a means for relating subject matter to learners' needs and concerns. Four major premises guide the development of classroom activities for…

This digest briefly summarizes the literature on preparing educators to promote the success of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students. Success in Native terms means not only academic achievement but also the development of the whole person. Spirituality and reciprocity (giving back to others) are vital to Indian learning. Teachers must…

Despite the costs of implementing technology at community colleges, the benefits gained include increased instructor creativity, increased student interest and learning, and greater flexibility of instructional delivery. Instructional technology may be implemented in two ways: first, the use of technology as a simple add-on to enhance current…

Suggesting that all students are capable of learning and can achieve high levels of competency when teachers delineate their expectations, this digest focuses on Outcome-Based Education (OBE) in the language arts classroom. The digest delineates some of the tenets of OBE, including the necessity of clearly defined objectives, students having…

This digest identifies some of the cultural factors that can influence learner and teacher behavior during classroom English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction. Four topic areas are discussed: roles of learners and teachers, gender-related issues; appropriate topics for instruction, and behavior at the site of instruction. Given the diversity…