Describes Mat-Su Alternative School (Wasilla, Alaska), which accepts dropouts age 15 to 21. School features include informal environment; small class size; comfortable teacher/student relationships; unconventional projects to engage student interest; parenting classes, day care for students' children, and other student support services; and…

For 25 years, Portland Night High School (Oregon) has offered students with a job or family a way to complete high school. School features include individualized progression, nongraded credit-accrual based on task completion and demonstrated competency, relevant projects and activities, small class size, a model school-to-work program, and student…

Describes Open Meadow Learning Center (Portland, Oregon), a private alternative high school with a long waiting list and a probationary period for new students. School features include an advocacy role for teachers that strengthens teacher/student relationships, 80% attendance requirement, safe and supportive environment, environmental…

Describes Meridian Academy, a small alternative high school for dropouts and potential dropouts near Boise, Idaho. Discusses the school's family-like supportive environment, teaching strategies that emphasize student projects and active learning, and discipline policies and practices. Sidebar presents a Meridian Academy teacher who was once an…

Access to technology in school can motivate students to become more independent learners, but will have little effect if teachers are technologically illiterate. To be effective, technology must be integrated into the curriculum, and teachers need support and training in the use of technology and related new pedagogical methods. They also need…

Profiles 10 technology-based programs in Montana, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Idaho schools that use computers, the Internet, and multimedia to teach math, science, information skills, economics, English, history, and graphic design. Includes teacher comments on hardware, software, costs, the changing role of the teacher, Internet safety, and…

Based on two rules--be patient, and begin in nonthreatening areas--this basic introduction to computer and Internet use for teachers covers selecting software, the Internet, online training, online forums, and finding curriculum. Six teachers share experiences, advice, and their favorite online resources and educational applications. Numerous…

A teacher who became computer literate by playing with one over the summer, describes how even just one computer in the classroom can help differentiate curriculum, be used for individualized instruction, augment resource materials, access the World Wide Web for the latest discoveries, assist visual learners, and create new student and teacher…

This document consists of the first six issues of the new quarterly serial "Northwest Education". Each issue has a theme title and typically consists of an opening review article on current trends and research related to the theme, followed by articles on exemplary schools or programs in the Northwest, promising practices, master teachers, or…

Reviews current trends and needs in gifted education. Discusses six types of gifted students, six northwestern states' policies on gifted education, and five rules for planning appropriate gifted programs. Pinpoints learning environment, curriculum content, and skills mastery as three areas where adaptations should be made to challenge and…

Briefly describes Oregon's 1991 gifted education law; formal parent complaints alleging noncompliance by Portland and Salem-Keizer school districts; state department of education findings of noncompliance; and the steps taken to improve gifted education. Sidebars discuss tailoring teacher training to the community, and Northwest regional resources…

Describes five gifted elementary students and their programs: an Alaskan classroom delivery model centered on cluster grouping and differentiated thematic curricula; an Oregon pullout program focused on leadership and social skills; an Idaho hybrid program utilizing curriculum compacting; a Montana classroom model personalized at the building…

At Lowell Elementary School, gifted and highly motivated students from Tacoma (Washington) elementary schools come together to work on projects and develop their skills in creative thinking, critical thinking, problem solving, and group interaction. Projects draw on student interests to foster motivation, independent and cooperative study, and…

Discusses research on identifying underrepresentation of minority students in gifted education programs; intelligences and talents that are not identified by IQ tests; expanded strategies for finding talent; 10 guidelines for finding and serving gifted African-American students; and the social, cultural, and psychological needs of gifted…

In Hardin (Montana) schools, where 55% of students are American Indians, the same identification methods are used to identify gifted students among all cultural groups. These methods include nonverbal standardized tests and subjective recommendations based on the Frasier Talent Assessment Profile. Other equitable practices include equal…