Suggests inventorying and mapping the features of the school yard so that it can be used as a ready learning resource. Sample schoolyard learning activities for each elementary grade and various subject areas are provided. (SJL)

Consideration of the qualities of good teaching leads to a new model that emphasizes the importance of sense making to professional development. A strong core of qualities that assist teachers in using sense making includes strength, confidence, balance, ballast, and value maturity. (Contains 27 references.) (SK)

Presents an annotated list of the best reference materials published in 2001. Discusses activity in the reference publishing industry; costs; and lists print materials, Web sites, databases, and CD-ROMs. (LRW)

Discusses the development of a multimedia CD-ROM that would help teachers address the "Evaluating and Appreciating" aspect of the Scottish Guidelines for 5-14 Expressive Arts. Focuses on a pilot study that aimed to determine whether the software assisted them in delivering "Evaluating and Appreciating" in art. (CMK)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss several technology applications that are being used to address current problems or opportunities related to multicultural education. Design/methodology/approach: Five technology applications or technology-related projects are discussed, including a teacher education literacy tool, social networking…

This article aims to outline key factors to be considered in the development of communities of enquiry in an educational context and to establish a conceptual and theoretical framework within which much needed empirical work can be carried out. The literature surveyed considers both different types of community and different theoretical positions…

Since 2004 the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) has been completed in 54 Australian communities over seven states and territories on more than 30,000 children. A concurrent systematic evaluation of community implementation and use of the AEDI was undertaken that included both a process and impact component. The purpose of this paper is to…

This is the final report of the Cardston School Division Project for Improvement in the Language Arts, a three-year project in Alberta, Canada, using Exemplary Center for Reading Instruction (ECRI) strategies and materials and having as its objectives the improvement of language arts teaching, student achievement in language arts, students'…

This is a summary of the final report of the Cardston School Division Project for Improvement in the Language Arts, a three-year project in Alberta, Canada, using Exemplary Center for Reading Instruction (ECRI) strategies and materials and having as its objectives the improvement of language arts teaching, student achievement in language arts,…

Discusses the four stages in the development of reference services from print to electronic form: (1) the transformation of periodical indexes to full-text versions; (2) paperless encyclopedias; (3) electronic access to government data; and (4) popular titles appearing in electronic formats. A sidebar outlines innovations in reference services.…

There is a growing recognition that for an educational innovation to be successful it needs to be more than a good idea--success requires an understanding of how change is implemented. Reggio, a widely-applied, innovative philosophy in early childhood settings, has some support in primary schools. Yet there is very little research to guide primary…

This issue of "InSEA News" features diverse articles from authors/art educators from Brazil, Australia, the United States, Guatemala, and Scotland that discuss water projects, childhood reminiscences, comparative curricula, local artists, and community efforts to involve students in exploring a city's history. Articles in the journal…

The Superhighways Teams Across Rural Schools (STARS) program sought to demonstrate how pupil learning and teacher professional development might be enhanced by the use of multimedia resources made available over communications networks. Subsidiary goals included developing strategies to support isolated gifted students through collaborative work,…

To determine if there are critical differences between the social and psychological environments of coeducational and single-sex schools, researchers investigated five coeducational, four all-female, and four all-male high schools in Ontario (Canada). All of the schools are "Separate" schools; that is, they are Roman Catholic and,…

Based on the evidence and theory that sex-role differentiation increases in salience during those later high school years as students prepare for their imminent transition into young adulthood, it was anticipated that there would be a lower orientation toward achievement among grade 12 girls than grade 10 girls, and, possibly, the opposite for…