In the UK Centres of Excellence were funded by the DfES to model high quality, multi-agency, early years services for young children and their families. They were precursors to Children's Centres to be established across the UK. Early Excellence Centres were evaluated at national and local levels. This article will draw on data from local…

Recent years have seen a growth not only in biological knowledge but also, and more significantly for teacher education, in the types of knowledge manifested in biology. No longer, therefore, is it adequate for teachers to retain a Mertonian or a Popperian conception of science. Today's teachers of science need also to be able to help their…

Is there really a connection between "adult education" and "peace" today: or are many of today's adult educators so busy they are not interested in the big issues of the day? Or is it perhaps that concerns about "world peace" appear to be too remote to be influenced by adult education initiatives? The purpose of this…

A study, presented here in two volumes and entirely in French, investigated the usefulness of introducing different varieties of Spanish in the classroom to improve listening comprehension skills, and the capacity of students to understand language variations. The experiment was conducted during two quarters at the University of Laval (Quebec),…

The training of library staff in interlending and document supply, an area often overlooked in library education and training programs, is explored, beginning with a survey of library associations and a range of schools and departments of library and information science. Responses from approximately 20 associations and 103 schools form a basis for…

There is a consensus among professionals about the content of programs that prepare educators for the early childhood level, and particularly about a core knowledge base. However, there is little consensus on the minimum levels of hours and credits needed to adequately prepare early childhood educators, and on the professional roles and…

A study examined the home and family life courses provided in secondary schools throughout the state of Washington. Course offerings and student enrollment figures were analyzed. Survey instruments were mailed to the home and family life teachers in each of the secondary schools in Washington. A computer analysis of the data reported from 143…

Polish university programs in English as a foreign language (EFL) contain a discussion course whose usual format is student presentations on an assigned topic of general interest. However, the communicative approach has made teachers more sensitive to the authenticity and suitability of the situations used for classroom role-playing. The approach…

These four reports resulted from a series of studies undertaken by the Community College of Allegheny County to evaluate its Block Scheduling Project, which schedules students into a block of developmental courses centered around a core, transferable course in either psychology or history. The first report briefly describes the project, considers…

Components of the Reading/Writing Skills Center (RWSC) at General College, University of Minnesota, are described and assessed in this paper. The paper discusses changes made in the RWSC during 1978-79; procedures followed when students first come to the RWSC; the training and responsibilities of the undergraduate RWSC tutors; student evaluations…

This final report and separate evaluation report describe activities and accomplishments of a 45-month project at Heidelberg College (Ohio), to develop and evaluate an undergraduate course for nonmusic majors which integrates music with a variety of other disciplines. The course's emphasis was on the relationship of music to the larger society.…

This paper offers a theory-based course development methodology for the creation of an information systems (IS) course to address the needs of top executives. A survey of institutions offering the Executive MBA (Masters of Business Administration) degree was conducted that focused on: (1) the extent to which the IS course is included in MBA…

This exploration of the preparation teachers should receive to be able to deal with the diversity of students emphasizes that reforms for diversity must involve colleagues and communities and that no single activity is an adequate preparation for teaching diverse populations. No reform effort to date has addressed the issues of diversity…

An evaluation of a foreign language experience program for fourth graders in an inner-city school is presented. First, an introductory section reviews literature on the rationale for and structure of foreign language programs in the elementary school. In the program, students learned about Russian foreign language and culture in a weekly 30-minute…

This study was conducted to answer three major questions relative to undergraduate preservice secondary education programs: (1) What courses in pedagogy are required of all secondary education majors and how many credits are awarded in each area? (2) What are the current practices relative to student teaching credit and evaluation? and (3) How…