The undergraduate Business and Human Development (HD) Departments at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), are collaborating in an innovative interdisciplinary approach to supporting internships with local businesses in order to provide college seniors with experiences in the area of career development known as the "Senior…

Basic skills courses are designed to teach students certain basic academic competencies they have not mastered. However, very little research has examined the quality of instruction inside basic skills classes. This paper presents preliminary findings from observations in 13 California community colleges. The clearest finding is that…

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standard #2 (communicating aids students to clarify their thinking) emphasizes that reading, writing, discussing, representing, and listening to mathematics are important aspects of learning and using math. Six of the 12 math series chosen for California's elementary program list titles of children's…

This paper is about practice--practicing that takes place on a weekly basis among a group of artists who work on a day-to-day basis with elementary school teachers. The paper concerns itself with the complexity of "vague and misty overtones" witnessed as reflections in a mirror, according to one jazz musician, and with the nature of risk…

This paper explores a six-year-old professional development program in which "professional artists" help teachers learn how to integrate the arts into their curriculum The specific goal of the program is to help teachers learn to use the arts to teach the content areas of language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The paper…

Trust agreements are cooperative arrangements supported by the school district and teachers' union leadership to promote local educational reforms. The ability of trust agreements to establish local professional cultures that support innovative teaching in California is examined in this paper. Included are: (1) an outline of the logic that links…

Highlights are presented of a California in-service fair, the "Teacher Teaser Show." Within a vaudevillian format, 15 minute presentations were made of exciting, successful teaching techniques in various subject areas. Interested audience members could join presenters after the show for more detailed information. Several of the…

This paper is a review of the literature concerning the history and current state of blended science instruction. The goals of blended science instruction are to provide learners with a liberal science education and to develop scientifically literate citizens. The term "blended science instruction" refers to various means of reconnecting…

This paper investigates the elementary school principal's role in helping to sustain implementation of a complex math and science program designed to foster the development of higher order thinking skills, particularly for language minority students. The study predicted a positive relationship between coordination and program continuation; if the…

This paper summarizes a round table discussion entitled "Translating Our Scholarship into Practice," which was presented at the 2001 Western States Communication Association meeting. The paper highlights the presentation of four California speech instructors--in their classes the instructors encourage students to participate in…

This paper describes some aspects of the organization and management of 14 schools that have been participating in the voucher demonstration in Alum Rock, California. The kinds of alternative programs being offered, the allocation of decision-making within the participating schools, and the effects of parent choice are briefly discussed. An…

This paper describes the work of an unusual kind of change facilitator lacking formal authority or educational expertise. Founded in 1993, Partners in School Innovation is a nonprofit organization that supports whole-school change efforts in schools serving low-income communities across the San Francisco Bay Area. It commits to 3- or 5-year…

Although education technologies have had a substantial impact on curricula, teaching, and learning, the overall impact on education has been limited. Evaluative studies of technology in the classroom in California, England, and France, have shown that computers and other new education technologies were embraced initially as viable educational…

California was a pioneer in new forms of student assessment through a system entitled the "California Learning Assessment System" (CLAS). For different reasons, several interest groups objected to the CLAS, which has been discontinued. The history of the CLAS program sheds light on the future of testing policy in California and perhaps…

The efforts of two pilot accelerated schools serving poor and minority students are evaluated in this report. A program goal was to integrate improvement at the school and community levels. Section 1 briefly describes the attitudes and meanings predominant in schools serving poor and minority youth. The focus on the individual, a narrow view of…