This California state curriculum model for grade 9 about Cesar Chavez explains that grade 9 is an elective year for social studies courses and that one of the electives is a course about contemporary California. It suggests that students in schools offering this course could study the role of Chavez in 20th century California and his legacy. A…

Presents findings of a case study of three New York City high schools conducted in 1980 to determine the effects of retrenchment. Focuses on six areas: instruction, programs, support services, facilities, equipment and supplies, and extracurricular activities. (WD)

Describes a course designed to improve writing ability and ability to use chemical literature, emphasizing course materials, teaching techniques, and effectiveness based on two years of experience. (SK)

Following a description of the "options" component of the JMB A-level physics syllabus, teachers' responses to these options are summarized by considering the time taken to complete options, factors influencing choice of options, and options teachers felt they knew best. (JN)

The New Jersey Education Association feels that the state proposal to set minimum graduation competencies would reduce the range of high school course offerings, erode local control of schools, and limit student opportunity. A text of the proposed state regulation is included. (SJL)

Prior Subject Interest (PSI) predicted student ratings of teaching effectiveness better than any of 15 other student/course/instructor characteristics considered. Instructor self-evaluations of their own teaching effectiveness were also positively correlated with PSI. (Author/RL)

Discusses problems in Chinese educational reform and trends in professional education. Based on the curriculum of 17 Chinese schools of library and information science, this article provides data on required courses, specialized elective courses, and nonspecialized courses to determine the state-of-the-art structure of the knowledge base and to…

Organizing time into equal periods and moving at intervals from task to task is inefficient, yet most schools use this rigid scheduling method. Better ways of operating include the following: (1) teach required and elective subjects together; (2) devise double period seminars; and (3) combine back to back scheduling with team teaching. (VM)

Researchers examined the status of general health education courses in 248 colleges and universities. Survey results indicated the number of institutions offering and requiring a general health education course increased since 1981. Slightly less than 3.9 percent of the student population at the institutions completed a general health education…

Discusses the history and role of differentiated secondary education in the former Soviet Union. Outlines the responsibilities of differentiated instruction. Offers suggestions for continuing this type of education in the future. (SG)

In this interview, a high school art teacher explains why her initial enthusiasm for block scheduling evaporated. Problems arose with foreign-language instruction, science labs, lesson planning, field trips, space utilization, supplies, and overenrollment in elective subjects like music and art. Teachers had little control or administrative…

As vocational "shop" courses are being replaced by technology education, a woodworking class at Springfield (Pennsylvania) High School is thriving. It is the school's most popular course, with over 100 enrollees each semester. Students think critically, solve problems, and take pride in their fine craftsmanship. (MLH)

This study examined whether contextual and personal motivational variables, taken from self-determination theory, could predict student cognitive and affective experiences in school physical education (PE), as well as participation in optional PE in the following school year. Structural equation modeling analysis with a sample of 302 British…

The project described here involved the design, implementation, and evaluation of an upper level, undergraduate elective course for science majors. Specific course goals were to help students gain an appreciation of the interdisciplinary nature of astrobiology, understand key ideas in astrobiology, and develop the skills necessary to communicate…