An ERIC digest considers several approaches to community study within the social studies curriculum. Material is divided into four sections. Following an introduction, "A rationale for community study" outlines skills and concepts that can be presented through community study and presents the rationale that community study can provide…

This review of the educational status of native Hawaiian students suggests the need for special programs that: (1) promote self-esteem and appreciation of multiculturalism while improving cognitive skills; and (2) encourage parent participation and the involvement of community leaders as role models. The effects of Federal programs (such as those…

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…

A traditional dichotomy has always existed between the quantitative origins of computers and the subjective and expressive nature of art. Computer technology, however, has become simultaneously more sophisticated in its application and more simplified in its use. Computers can now serve as viable and productive components of an art education…

Performance-based assessment has the potential to support a richer curriculum and more accurately assess the skills of low-income minority students than standardized tests. Performance-based assessment has the following advantages: (1) it allows a wide range of expression; (2) it permits assessment of learning in a natural context while students…

The educational approaches, programs, and services developed for American Indians at both tribal colleges and non-tribal community colleges can be used as models by other institutions seeking to serve minority populations better. The community college is an important avenue for American Indians pursuing postsecondary degrees; in 1988, 50,400 of…

Traditionally, disadvantaged groups, such as women and minorities, have not excelled in science and math. Often the lack of literacy and achievement in these subjects is due to the following factors: (1) cognitive differences between how the information is presented and how the students process it; (2) lack of familiarity, because of cultural…

In nongraded education, children of different ages and ability levels are taught together and make continuous progress rather than being promoted once per year. Research studies support nongraded primary education by indicating that young children vary in their rates of intellectual development and learn best through hands-on activities with…

Cooperative arrangements between academic institutions and industry are examined, with attention to linkages in high technology research and development (R&D), the commercial application of R&D (technology transfer), and the preparation and continuing development of scientific and engineering personnel. Incentives and barriers to campus/corporate…

This book aims to help parents, community members, and educators find resources, design school options, and take action together to improve small rural schools in ways that meet community and student needs. Chapter 1 discusses the virtues of smallness, outlines basic assumptions about the role and nature of good education, examines the…

This paper is one in a series of studies which highlight and synthesize recent research and practice in educational management. The paper presented here discusses recent research findings and current practice on the adoption, implementation, and integration of microcomputers into the instructional program at the elementary and secondary levels.…

Since 1981, Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act has provided school districts with supplementary services funds for more than five million low-achieving students. Historically, schools have used "pull-out" programs to serve this population, but the provisions of the current legislation, the Hawkins-Stafford…

In the Prospective Principals' Program at Stanford University, students are engaged in problem-based learning (PBL), a cooperative, small-group approach providing opportunities to resolve problems likely to confront real-world professionals. To illustrate PBL's background and rationale, chapter 1 briefly describes how the topic of teacher…

Instructional technology is defined as a systematic way of designing, carrying out, and evaluating the total process of learning and teaching in terms of specific objectives, based on research in human learning and communication and employing a combination of human and nonhuman resources to bring about more effective instruction. The main question…

The ancient Athenian "agora" functioned as a marketplace for ideas and commerce and offered an ideal place for teaching and learning. This digest suggests adapting such a model to modern needs and describes successful small schools that have done so while reducing costs. Research shows that small schools offer many advantages for…