While most of the dialogue in education today is about accountability, standardized testing, and adequate yearly progress, the truth is that student success is deeply connected to the physical, emotional, and cognitive needs that they have at different ages. The best schools already know this and follow practices that are academically engaging and…

This collection of papers examines instructional environments for students with severe disabilities. It points out that two principles should guide the selection of all instructional environments for all types of learners at all stages of instruction: the environment should be the least restrictive environment possible and it should be the most…

This volume of 30 one- to two-page abstracts highlights a variety of innovative approaches to teaching and learning in the community college. Topics covered in the abstracts include: (1) music in the biology classroom; (2) pairing English as a second language and freshman composition students in writing activities; (3) moot court exercises in…

A cognitive task analysis was performed to analyze the key cognitive components of the en route air traffic controllers' jobs. The goals were to ascertain expert mental models and decision-making strategies and to identify important differences in controller knowledge, skills, and mental models as a function of expertise. Four groups of…

The guide is designed to help educators design math curricula to meet the needs of students of English as a Second Language (ESL) with limited or interrupted schooling in mathematics. It provides techniques for integrating mathematics and language teaching, especially through cooperative learning experiences, makes suggestions for inservice…

Intended for middle school instructors or teacher education students in middle school methods courses, this guide provides a practical, concise, criterion-referenced, performance-based mastery learning model for effective teaching. The guide is organized around four components: why the rationale to support the components that follow; what the…

This document explains Maryland's practical approach to developing student activities designed to facilitate high school students' transition to postsecondary education and/or the workplace. The document begins with an overview of Maryland's Career Connections initiative, which prepares for college and careers through the following: hands-on…

During June and July of 1997, the Maryland Community Colleges Technology Council conducted a survey of all 18 community colleges in Maryland to determine the existing state of campus instructional and administrative technologies, and to learn the technology needs and plans of the colleges for the following five years. The survey asked about…

This paper examines how the use of video has inspired and altered the implementation of teaching and learning in the delivery of a master's program offered in a distance learning format. In the process of this examination, technical issues concerning video production techniques, distribution, and utilization are also analyzed. The paper focuses on…

This study was conducted to examine teachers' knowledge of teaching mathematics and writing to diverse learners, and knowledge changes that occur over time, particularly during and after formal teacher education programs. Commonplaces of teaching were articulated as subject matter, learners, learning, and context. Three measurement instruments…

This paper, commissioned for the development of the national report, "National Excellence: A Case for Developing America's Talent," examines current state policies, regulations, and legislation concerning education programs for gifted and talented students. The paper also looks at other state policies which have a direct influence on the…

Education majors at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo are primarily English speaking only and need guidance in strategies for adapting instruction for a variety of levels of second language acquisition students. This project addressed the problem of a lack of sufficient preparation of undergraduate students to participate…

For a project designed to increase understanding of cultural diversity in the United States as a preliminary to meeting the educational needs of all the country's children, 42 professionals and parents were asked to identify the critical issues in the education of children from minority backgrounds. Over 200 issues were identified in 8 areas: (1)…

A study examined current research on the proficiency of vocational students in basic skill areas and explored current practices for improving the basic skills of vocational students at the secondary and postsecondary levels. Based on current research, vocational students, on an average, seemed to be less proficient in basic skills than were their…

School systems are increasingly following national reports' recommendations that oral communication instruction in the high school curriculum should develop students' everyday academic competencies, personal confidence, and research and employment abilities. This report discusses instructional applications of oral communication and offers course…