While project-based learning can be traced back to centuries-old theory, new research shows how it is linked to a variety of efforts for change in innovative schools.

Thomas College is leading the field of teacher preparation through the design of its three-year programs in Education, which are now being offered across our suite of early childhood, elementary and secondary programs. Students can earn a teaching degree and be recommended for certification in three years. There is a need for practical answers to…

This article presents a sampler of notable developments in the world of higher education. Among them are: (1) At the University of Southern Maine, faculty leaders and President Theo Kalikow are working together to address the challenges that stand in the way of economic sustainability. In the spring, after announcing a plan to fire a dozen tenured…

Schools and teachers are looking for innovative ways to teach the "big ideas" emerging in the core curricula, especially in STEAM fields (science technology, engineering, arts and math). As a result, learning environments that support digital learning and educational technology on various platforms and devices are taking on…

A successful digital conversion for classrooms, districts, and states is not determined by the technology, but by how technology enables teaching and learning. The purpose of our multisite case study was to document digital instructional strategies teachers use to enhance and transform student learning, and align that use with learning research.…

How will higher education fare under a President Donald Trump? According to this author, the campaign's misogyny shouldn't sit well with a student body that is now majority female, its disavowal of climate changes won't impress research universities, and the xenophobia won't help economies and cultures bolstered by foreign enrollment. The number…

This analysis responds to a generation of criticism leveled at 1:1 laptop computer initiatives. The article presents a review of the key themes of that criticism and offers suggestions for reframing the conversation about 1:1 computing among advocates and critics. Efforts at changing, innovating, and reforming education provide the context for…

More high schools are experimenting with block schedules to provide longer class periods and decrease faculty workload. Since a Colorado Springs high school adopted the new schedule in 1990, daily attendance, honor roll participation, college enrollments, and earned course credits are all higher. Benefits for schools in Maine, Illinois, Ohio,…

School districts discover that the secret to implement a good laptop program is to find a good partner. This article features educational partnerships that provide tools and support districts need to roll out successful laptop programs. At Cincinnati Country Day School district administrators joined with Toshiba and a solution provider to provide…

Describes Noble High School, the largest in Maine. The $33.6 million project has 15 separate, 100-student "communities" within the school, which accommodate the district's project-based, team teaching methods. In addition, the facility provides space for myriad community functions. (EV)

Describes the development and pilot testing of a human biology laboratory telecourse delivered over the Education Network of Maine. The process is described within the framework of an instructional systems design model. Decisions and critical issues considered at each development stage, and generally applicable issues are presented. (Contains 14…

The Richmond preschool is an innovative partnership between regular and special education. High school students taking a child care course act as aides to the preschool special education teacher and learn to apply and observe classroom-based theory and knowledge of child growth and development in a meaningful and concrete manner. (JHZ)

Maine is the first state to deliver "anytime, anywhere learning" to schools by providing laptop computers to every 7th and 8th grader in public schools statewide. It's an unprecedented attempt by a state to be a catalyst for school technology. The brainchild of then-Governor Angus King, the Independent who herded it through the…