The Santa Monica Geography Project has been under development, field study, and implementation from 1963 to 1970. The program is discussed under four headings. 1) Instructional Techniques: Included are field experiences, the use of community resources, inquiry, and multimedia use. 2) Curriculum: Geography was chosen to integrate the concepts and…

The purpose of this study was to determine if educators and prospective teachers were equally knowledgeable regarding the following three recommended principles and practices for developing oral language skills of first grade disadvantaged students: (1) Teachers should encourage children to express themselves freely and have the children do most…

The one and one-half year Raleigh County Career Education project involved over 9,000 students in grades K-12. The project's goals were directed toward recognition of the importance of: career preparation, relevancy of education in career preparation, effective teaching methods, and continuing career assistance for former students. Specific…

The Working Party on Aims and Objectives reports on its reappraisal of elementary and secondary education in New Zealand. Attention is focused on four major concepts: 1) the school as a professional unit, 2) lifelong education as a continuing process beyond the formal school system, 3) continuity throughout the educational system, and 4) school…

Guatemala's school completion rates are among the lowest in Latin America and are particularly low in rural indigenous areas ravaged by 36 years of civil conflict. In 1997, USAID launched the Girls' Education Activity, known as Proyecto Global in Guatemala, to increase the percentage of girls who complete fifth grade, especially in rural areas and…

Sciencing with Watersheds, Environmental Education, and Partnerships (SWEEP) is a professional development program designed to help elementary teachers improve the way they teach science using partnerships among teachers and resource professionals. SWEEP follows a thematic approach using watersheds as the core concept of an integrated elementary…

This paper argues that teachers' beliefs and attitudes affect not only their instructional decisions and human relationships, but also their willingness to seek professional knowledge, particularly when such knowledge contradicts their beliefs. Results obtained from a case study on K-5 staff development through inquiry are used to illustrate what…

The critical aspects of a training model used in a program called Turning Point are described. The program allows teachers to make appropriate paradigm shifts that empower them to analyze their own teaching styles and student expectations in an effort to address their students' learning styles more effectively. The training model makes it possible…

The practicum reported here was designed for elementary school mainstream teachers experiencing difficulty with the instruction of limited English proficient pupils. It presented teaching strategies intended to involve the LEP pupil as an active and successful participant in the mainstream classroom. The training address the following seven…

During the 1991 National Catholic Principals Academy, 30 elementary school principals came together to sharpen their skills, to be exposed to new trends and ideas, and to be empowered as Catholic education administrators. This handbook is the result of sharing ideas and is a compilation of tried and true processes, "how to" advice, and practical…

This evaluation report describes the Quality Improvement Program Plan for Special Educators (QUIPP) which provides supplemental professional development opportunities for New York City special education professionals and paraprofessionals at the elementary, middle, and intermediate/junior high school levels. The program stresses design of the…

This discussion of an urban professional development school (PDS) partnership between Milwaukee Public Schools (Wisconsin) and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee documents changes made and experienced by teachers, particularly changes related to moving from an ineffective basic skills approach to reading, in a school context focused on student…

In response to the problem of high rates of referral of black students to special education and related services due to their use of non-standard English (African American Vernacular English, AAVE), a project was undertaken to assess and address the issue in Baltimore (Maryland) public schools' special education services. An ethnographic study of…

Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (Project CALLA) was a federally funded program serving 960 limited-English-proficient students in 10 Manhattan (New York) elementary schools in 1992-93 its third year of operation. The project provided instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL), mathematics, science, and social studies in…

The Teacher-Parent Partnership for the Enhancement of School Success Project was a cooperative project involving the University of South Carolina and the Salkehatchie Consortium (a collection of 18 rural school districts). Its goal was to increase the language, mathematics, social responsibility, and expressive skills of young at-risk children…