This directory identifies 83 national and regional organizations with major programs focused specifically on young adolescents and/or schools serving the middle school grades. The programs listed have been designed to encourage and support schools to better serve these youths. The directory entry lists each program's name, address, phone number,…

This policy brief presents a discussion of what needs to be done to empower, attract, and retain good teachers. Consistent with educational reform efforts, the Southeastern Regional Vision for Education (SERVE) invited the 1992 and 1993 Outstanding Teachers of the Year from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina…

This paper describes the Critical Thinking in the Schools/Teacher Education project at Montclair State College (New Jersey) and two reforms to the undergraduate preservice teacher education program carried out under this project: the development of extensive collaboration between the college and the public schools which provide clinical sites for…

At the beginning of his tenure in 1987, the superintendent of Clear Creek School District (Colorado) found that the district had no written K-12 curriculum, no ongoing process for developing such a curriculum, and no systematic process for staff development. To provide for change based on projected student needs for the 21st century, the…

Seven elementary, junior high, and high schools participate in the Memphis City Deregulation Program (MCDP), a school-based decision making program in which the principle of shared leadership is a key concept. Shared leadership requires a shift from traditional roles, responsibilities, and power relationships. This study focuses on 49 teachers in…

This essay posits a problem of "fit" between five streams of reform (subject matter teaching, diverse student populations, uses of student assessment, social organization of schooling, and professionalization of teaching), and prevailing configurations of teachers' professional development. It argues that the dominant…

This study was conducted to examine the present and future scope and direction of adult vocational education. It focused on major forces that influence program planning and development, new and expanding program services, program planning and implementation strategies, and emerging issues within the field. Information was obtained in two ways:…

This study was conducted to investigate and identify the current professional development interests of teachers working in Core French and French Immersion with the Calgary Board of Education. It was also intended to identify indicators that may be used to predict future professional development needs. A two-part questionnaire was developed. The…

This document provides an overview of the Regional Educational Laboratory operated by the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) during 1986-1990. AEL staff works with educators in ongoing research and development-based efforts to improve education and educational opportunity in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Part I of the…

In a sweeping effort to improve science education in Tennessee, a new curriculum framework was developed that mandated "hands-on" experiences for students, beginning in kindergarten. To smooth out problems in elementary science instruction arising from the mandate, the Center of Excellence for the Enrichment of Science and Mathematics…

This report on the implementation of computer technology in Toronto elementary and secondary schools was based on an analysis of current implementation compared to what had been envisioned for the system in 1985. The following impediments to implementation were noted: (1) financial constraints due to a lack of provincial operating funds; (2)…

A report is given on the redesign of the teacher education program at Southeast Missouri State University, which will integrate both preservice and inservice teacher education into one continuous process. Changes in the program design include: (1) development of more rigorous requirements for admission; (2) identification and implementation of…

Working toward the creation of a truly equitable human society demands that school administrators (1) become aware of ways in which educational systems currently collaborate in maintaining inequitable societies and (2) work to change the structures that serve the status quo into structures that support cooperative change. One major task is to…

A comprehensive survey was conducted seeking the opinions of 40,000 secondary school teachers on the impact of school reform proposals. Over 13,500 teachers returned questionnaires, for a response rate of 33.9%. In this report an evaluation is presented of the school renewal movement drawn from the perspective of the teacher. The survey included…

Implementing new instructional strategies and programs is a challenging task, and the need for teacher renewal and updating is apparent when the advances in literacy research in recent years and the increasing gap between this knowledge and the training of most teachers are considered. Among the obstacles to teacher change are short-term inservice…