(2006). Documenting "Possibility Thinking": A Journey of Collaborative Enquiry. International Journal of Early Years Education, v14 n3 p243-262 Oct. Drawing on existing work in the area of creativity and early years education, this paper maps the process of an exploratory study which sought to identify what characterizes "possibility thinking" as an aspect of creativity in young children's learning. With the aim of developing a framework for identifying "possibility thinking" in the contexts of three early years settings, the authors explore key tenets of a model for conceptualizing (and rethinking) "possibility thinking" and attempt to reconcile some of the methodological challenges inherent in documenting this aspect of creativity in early years contexts. With the co-participation of five early years teachers as researchers, three university-based researchers worked collaboratively, in a funnel-like process, over the three-phase development of the project. With the emphasis on mapping the developing conceptualizations of "possibility thinking" and the appropriateness of multimodal methods… [Direct]
(1993). The Annual Condition of Education Report. A Report on Elementary, Secondary and Community College Education. This publication provides a comprehensive view of kindergarten through community-college education in Iowa. It describes input indicators (which are somewhat fixed by outside constraints), process indicators (over which school districts have some control), and outcome indicators (which result from planned district programs). Information for 1993-94 is compared with the 1985-86 school year. Statewide initiatives implemented since 1985 include the Department of Education's 5-year plan, Renewing the Commitment; new standards for school accreditation; the Educational Excellence Program to improve teacher salaries and staff development; and increased exploration of interdistrict sharing. The first section describes Iowa's progress toward the six National Education Goals. The second section describes the status of elementary-secondary education in terms of student achievement, enrollment, staff, programs, and finance. Section 3 examines community colleges, and provides information on… [PDF]
(1992). Private Lives, Public Forums: What Teachers Share of Themselves in Teaching. There has been considerable concern among policymakers over the last decade about the recruitment and retention of talented and energetic people into teaching. A study is described that documented what three talented and idealistic prospective teachers hoped to accomplish in their teaching and how their goals developed through teacher education and student teaching experiences. Data were collected utilizing student teaching journals, interviews conducted before student teaching began and again near its end, and reports from cooperating teachers and supervisors. Case studies based on teaching experiences of the students illustrate their views which reflect a relational conception of teaching, a commitment to sharing personal beliefs, and a wish to share of themselves in ways that would make meaningful differences in their students' lives. Results suggest that policies intended to promote professionalization of teaching in general and standards for social studies teachers in… [PDF]
(1993). Difficulty in Identifying Developmentally Appropriate Practices: Conflicts with Traditional Instructional Practices. This study investigated the extent to which preservice teachers could differentiate developmentally appropriate from inappropriate practices in the education of young children. Responses to 2 teaching scenarios were collected from 158 junior and/or senior early childhood teacher education majors from a university in the mid-South. Results indicated that: (1) 75 percent of students correctly identified sharing personal experiences as a developmentally appropriate practice; (2) almost 75 percent correctly identified the inappropriateness of not permitting children to have recess and the presence of materials that were too difficult or abstract; (3) over half reported that overly structured classroom activities and reading a story in which children were not interested were inappropriate; (4) only 35 percent recognized the inappropriateness of discipline techniques which involved isolating children who were involved in minor misbehaviors; and (5) students exhibited difficulty in… [PDF]
(1985). Promoting Success through Collaborative Ventures in Precollege Science and Mathematics. This publication presents a synthesis of the efforts made over a decade to increase minority participation in precollege engineering studies. It is produced by the National Association of Precollege Directors (NAPD), a coalition of 19 program specialists which serves as a central base for program networking and the sharing of ideas and information that promote academic success in students. These programs serve to increase student scholastic achievement in all subject areas, especially mathematics and science, and to heighten student awareness of careers in engineering, science, and technology. Functioning as educational extensions to participating schools, they involve industry and higher education facilities in program activities. Tutorial services are also provided and detailed records that continually monitor academic performance are maintained throughout the students' high school years. The report describes various NAPD programs, presents a brief history of the precollege…
(1976). Greater Assurances Are Needed that Emotionally Disturbed and Handicapped Children are Properly Cared for in Department of Defense Approved Facilities: Report to the Congress by the Comptroller General of the United States. Problems pertaining to the treatment of emotionally disturbed and handicapped children and adolescents under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) are described, actions taken by the Department of Defense to correct these problems are assessed, and additional areas needing improvement are pointed out. The report is divided into five sections (sample topics are in parentheses): introduction (program administration and costs of care in CHAMPUS); better criteria and inspection procedures needed in approving facilities (progress and problems in approving psychiatric facilities); procedures needed to avoid inappropriate admissions and excessive lengths of stay (results of case reviews by medical advisors); improved controls over facility financial charges needed (facilities often not collecting sponsor's share); and the financial provisions of the program for the handicapped need to be reconsidered (cost-sharing requirements and current charges of…
(1970). A Forward Look. Final Report of the Governor's Commission on Education. This report is the result of a 2-year study of Wisconsin's educational system in which over 600 men and women and some 3000 students participated. Volunteer citizen task forces, which provided data and recommendations for the Commission's consideration, addressed themselves to 4 major issues: organization of the educational system for effective statewide planning; development of a financial policy that would provide equality of opportunity and equity in cost sharing; formulation of procedures to increase resources allocated to education; identification of desirable relationships between state government and educational institutions. The key recommendation is the creation of a state education board to encompass a board of elementary and secondary education, 8 regional boards, a board of regents of technical colleges, an open education board responsible for integrating educational and communication resources and developing a cooperative learning resources center and an open school…. [PDF]
(1999). Educational Financing and Budgeting in Kyrgyzstan. Financial Management of Education Systems. Working Document. This book provides an indepth description and analysis of financial management and budgetary procedures for education in Kyrgyzstan. The case of this country is interesting for practitioners and researchers due to its policy of accelerated transition to a market economy, with associated hardships for educational finance and budgeting. Kyrgyzstan was obliged to make all possible efforts to pass through the difficulties and constraints of the transition period as quickly as possible to sustain the previous level of educational development and standards, and to achieve rapid transformation of the mechanisms of educational finance. This case study provides examples of application of "program-budgeting" techniques in education, global ceilings to replace the obsolete norms for budget estimates, measures for strict control over expenditure, fiscal discipline, cost-reduction, cost-sharing, and income-generation, as well as private education development. Appendices contain charts…
(1995). Planning Today Creating Tomorrow: A Guide to Transition. This booklet provides information designed for individuals who are involved in the transition planning process both for persons with deaf-blindness and for persons with other disabilities. The purpose of the guide is to introduce common misperceptions encountered during transition planning, components of transition planning, and the transition planning process. The first section of the guide presents common misperceptions based on the collective experiences of educators who have participated in transition planning for students over the years. The following section identifies general considerations and common transition issues when beginning transition planning, including thinking about the person, exploring all options, learning to work as a team, and sharing responsibility among team members. A general step-by-step process to transition planning is then presented, along with examples of plans developed for two women with vision and hearing losses who returned home to Indiana after… [PDF]
(1995). Using the Internet in Vocational Education. ERIC Digest No. 160. Vocational educators are using the Internet in various ways. The director and associate professor of vocational-technical education at Dakota State University uses the Internet primarily for electronic mail. Students in a secondary vocational teacher's international trade and marketing class have participated in real-time conferences with schools in Finland, Israel, and many places in the United States. Students in the University of Florida counseling program use e-mail, search the World Wide Web (WWW) for information, and have group e-mail sessions. Advantages of using the Internet include the following: ability to arouse students' interest, ease of communication among teachers for sharing ideas, availability of new resources, potential to develop new relationships all over the world, and possibility of interaction with experts. Problems are antiquated hardware and software; lack of technical and curriculum support; lack of coherent structure, stability, and documentation; and lack… [PDF]
(1995). Transracial Adoption: Factors Promoting Racial Identity and Self-Esteem. Transracial adoptions continue to occur in the United States, despite a long-running debate over the effects on the self-esteem and racial identity of adoptees. It is important for counselors to understand the needs of transracial adoptees in order to support such individuals in the process of identity development. A review of the literature was conducted to determine factors fostering healthy racial identity and self-esteem in transracial adoptees. The results of the review showed that the factors that tend to promote racial identity and self-esteem in adoptees include: living in a multiethnic community, attending desegregated schools, having adoptive parents with a strong acceptance of the child's ethnic heritage, and regular exposure to individuals sharing the child's ethnic background. Research shows that transracial adoptions can be successful in meeting the needs of transracial adoptees if the right conditions are present. Most available research on transracial adoption has… [PDF]
(1995). Standards for Florida Public Libraries: A Vision for the 21st Century. The need for new standards has arisen in Florida public libraries as a result of the library profession's shift from quantitative, input-based standards to qualitative, output-based standards to measure library performance and excellence. The standards in this document were developed after over 100 participants identified subjects to be addressed and developed recommendations and submitted them to the Standards Working Committee. The final standards are organized in the following broad categories: (1) governance, leadership and funding; (2) personnel; (3) access; (4) materials and collections; (5) services; (6) facilities; (7) cooperation and resource sharing; and (8) community relations. In each section there is an objective defined, addressing the purpose of the standards for the topic area. The standard appears in bold type, followed by a checklist that contains a number of indicators a library can use for self-assessment. Each section includes a list of critical resources. Four… [PDF]
(1993). Ensuring Student Success through Collaboration. Bulletin No. 94076. Wisconsin designed a proposal to the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) for funding through a grant program: "Ensuring Student Success Through Collaboration." With the financial support made available by CCSSO through this grant program, a statewide meeting on May 26, 1993, was held to explore school/community collaboration to address the needs of children and families. The meeting was attended by over 100 opinion leaders on collaboration. The meeting intended to discuss numerous topics, including sharing with others the experiences of implementing and sustaining community collaborative initiatives. The overall purpose of the project was to explore the feasibility of collaboration as a method for successfully meeting the needs of children and families in Wisconsin. The methods of exploration included the statewide meeting with followup telephone interviews. Information was compiled and formulated into a guide for collaboration and a community needs assessment…. [PDF]
(1992). A School and University Collaborative Project between Memphis City Schools and Memphis State University. The partnership between Memphis State University (Tennessee) and seven Memphis City Schools using school-based decision making (SBDM) has evolved into a unique cooperative relationship. The goal of the pilot SBDM initiative has been to restructure the schools involved. University researchers undertook to observe and document the change process by attending planning, training, and decision making sessions at the seven sites and at district level over the first 3 years of SBDM implementation. This paper describes the partnership enjoyed by university researchers and the participants in the SBDM initiative of the Memphis City Schools and uses the partnership as a point of reference for a discussion of some of the concerns and issues associated with school and university collaboration. The discussion includes a description of the data collection and analysis and the objectives and manner of sharing research results with school personnel. Additional topics discussed include the need for…
(1983). STAR I (Summer Training Achieves Results). Final Evaluation Report. Project STAR I, a summer program administered by the Indianapolis Public Schools, provided over 400 economically disadvantaged young people (16 to 21 years old) with supervised work/intern experiences and career education activities designed to promote career development and continued academic pursuit. The project had three basic components: STAR I, the Gold Star Mentor Program, and a Tutorial component. In STAR I, participants worked six hours per day, five days a week. Biweekly, they attended training workshops which focused on the exploration of career options, educational/attitudinal motivation, and the sharing of worksite experiences. The Gold Star Mentor Program sought to create summer "partnerships" between business/community leaders and 60 high school participants in STAR I in an effort to provide the students with role models and increased career exposure. The tutorial component provided experiences for high school students as teacher aides and/or tutors. Through… [PDF]