This booklet is designed to serve as a practical guide to assist teachers in using the Illinois Core Curriculum in Agriculture to develop courses of study for local vocational agriculture courses. Provided first is an overview of vocational agriculture programs on the secondary-school level in the state of Illinois. The next section is a guide for…

This paper presents a model for turning research findings into prescriptions for practical action. The model contains the following five interactive elements: (1) clear, understandable research knowledge; (2) relevant knowledge, which is seen as meaningful to normal life and concerns; (3) images of actions which exemplify the knowledge; (4) a will…

This report discusses key problem areas in the use of computer technology in education and describes current educational practices that appear to address the needs of urban educators. The problem areas, which were identified by the Technological Study Group of the National Institute of Education's Urban Superintendents' Network, concern: (1) the…

As schools reform for the 21st century, educators are being asked to work together in more and more ways. Many have not been prepared to work together, and little additional time is being allocated for collaborative work. Two solutions are worth consideration: (1) to make more time and (2) to use time more effectively. As teachers and other school…

This document summarizes a report on the implementation and impact of instructional strategies to improve students' comprehension skills at three diverse urban secondary schools. While activities and characteristics varied, educators at all three locations were implementing local variations of a school-improvement approach based on the use of the…

This report describes in depth the implementation and impact of instructional strategies to improve students' comprehension skills at three diverse urban secondary schools. While activities and characteristics varied, educators at all three locations were implementing local variations of a school-improvement approach based on the use of the…

The study compared the perceptions of selected faculty members in higher education with those of public school administrators as to the desired performance of homemaking teachers in rural and urban areas. The effort included the construction, the administration, the analysis, and the interpretation of an inventory of statements concerning teacher…

This article discusses the critical elements of educational partnerships including leadership, communication, and planning for program development. The Cooperative Alliance for Gifted Education involving Kent State University (Ohio), Cleveland Public Schools, and International Business Machines is described, especially the Joint Partnership…

This handbook describes how a New York City high school transformed itself into a model school. Boys and Girls High School is located in Bedford-Stuyvesant, one of the city's toughest neighborhoods. Over the period 1986-94, the school experienced increases in school attendance, the graduation rate, the number of college-bound students, the number…

Proposals for modifying attitudes and anxieties about mathematics by inner city students and increasing the chances these pupils have to succeed in college mathematics are presented. Orientation sessions are proposed for students entering colleges with mathematics deficiencies and anxieties. (MP)

Advocates student learning portfolios as an effective assessment technique. Explains how to devise a process that involves community expert partners in judging a student portfolio contest in technical writing. Discusses how to sustain community involvement in program assessment and describes how portfolio assessment led to the creation of a…

To attract the best available superintendent candidates boards should (1) sell the advantages of the district; (2) define expectations early; (3) spell out working relationships; (4) develop compensation guidelines early; (5) consider developing leaders and alternative prospects; (6) maintain strict confidentiality; and (7) make the final…

Community collaboration is necessary to improve support for at-risk students. Collaboration lets schools work with community agencies using a comprehensive team approach, eliminating duplicate and disjointed services, and providing better assistance. One successful midwestern collaborative pilot program at an inner-city school is described. (SM)

This paper describes the use of special "Intervention Teachers" to address the needs of severely learning disabled (LD) high school students in a Chicago Public High School. In this approach the Intervention Teacher, a trained LD teacher, consults with, helps, and observes the regular teacher's instructional plans and implementation.…

Describes the efforts of the staff of one urban high school in Mississippi to develop and implement a school improvement program based on a school effectiveness model. (FL)