This conference proceeding paper regarding the presentation made at the NRMERA 2019 conference focused on the purpose to develop candidates who possess dispositions so that they will be successful in the classroom. This presentation included a mock panel interview including four undergraduate teacher candidates as the participants along with two…

Increasing costs and decreasing numbers of university Extension faculty have made it difficult to provide quality turfgrass short course education. In response, faculty from nine institutions collaborated to develop the Great Lakes School of Turfgrass Science. This 12-week online course provides students with unique learning experiences through a…

The purpose of this paper is to inform evaluators of a method of evaluating capacity building in educational programs. One definition of capacity building is helping an organization increase its ability to fulfill its mission (Wing, 2004). Evaluators of capacity-building efforts therefore must focus on evidence that the program has helped to build…

Project Accommodate, a program designed to improve inservice to regular Nebraska secondary teachers serving handicapped students, is described. The state's needs for inservice training to implement the goal of providing services in the least restrictive environment are discussed as background to Project Accommodate's development. Goals of the…

Rural communities are often dependent upon their agricultural bases, which have undergone drastic changes. For communities to remain viable as economic units certain measures must be taken. Strategic planning can assist communities in assessing their situations and in developing plans and implementation schedules. Initially used in the business…

Two papers on developments toward consumerism in higher education are included. In "Alternatives to Federal Regulation of Consumer Information," by Joan S. Stark and Patrick T. Terenzini, several questions are posed for considering alternative systems to help students obtain and use information for college choice: (1) Can meaningful…

The National Network for Educational Renewal (NNER) consists of higher education institutions and partner K-12 schools promoting simultaneous renewal of teacher education and K-12 schools. The network helps renew teacher education by preparing educators who will: (1) provide all students with equitable opportunities for becoming educated,…

Few descriptions of the graduate school experience are taken from the viewpint of the graduate student. The comments and real life experiences presented in this paper are not intended to dissuade potential students but to promote a serious discussion about the role and expectation of the graduate student. The paper opens by sharing thoughts on…

The paper provides guidelines for establishing and operating teacher aide programs in special education. Chapter I considers legal aspects of using paraprofessionals with emphasis on the stance of the Nebraska Professional Practices Commission. A second chapter outlines the roles and duties of teachers and aides, offers sample job descriptions for…

A detailed examination of one agriculturally dependent Nebraska county was conducted to determine the changes believed to be underway as a result of the economic hard times associated with the farm crisis of the early 1980s. Fillmore county, with a 1980 population of 5098, was selected as it derived 25% of its total labor, salary, and proprietary…

This study is part of a longitudinal research project which investigated the cognitive and social development of rural children (ages 3-5, 6-8, and 9-11 years) in eight states of the U.S.A. This paper, however, reports only the cognitive development of 3- to 5-year-old subjects in rural Nebraska from 1976-1978. The longitudinal sample plus control…

A 3-year longitudinal study assessed cognitive changes among rural children 3 to 5 years old and validated the construct validity of the Nebraska Wisconsin Cognitive Assessment Battery (NEWCAB). Multistage area sampling techniques were used with a repeated measures, control group design. Participants in the sample were 40 3-year-olds, 57…

This paper describes the involvement of faith in healthy community efforts, highlighting Nebraska's plan to strengthen and transform public health at the state and local level. This involved expanding health promotion and disease prevention programs into nontraditional settings (schools, worksites, and churches). A faith team was organized to…

In 1994, the Nebraska Articulation Planning Team (NAPT) was created to investigate opportunities for establishing horizontal and vertical articulation, curriculum integration, and staff development in the state to provide students with seamless pathways in their movement along the educational continuum. During the 1994-95 academic year, NAPT…

This paper describes the Entry Year Assistance Program (EYAP), a mentoring program for novice teachers, offered by the School of Education at Chadron State College (Nebraska). The program supports beginning teachers who are geographically isolated in Nebraska's panhandle. A discussion of the theoretical basis for teacher mentoring includes…