In the five years since a Trappe, Maryland elementary school put Gardner's multiple-intelligences theory into practice, students' overall achievement and confidence have risen substantially. Specialists helped teachers develop standards for grading students' art work and oral presentations. To prepare students for state assessments, written…

In Australia, Gardner's multiple-intelligences theory has strongly influenced primary, preschool, and special education. A survey of 30 schools revealed that teachers use two basic approaches: teaching to, and teaching through, multiple intelligences. The first approach might develop children's music skills via playing an instrument. The second…

At a Catholic secondary school in Australia, all students, from academically gifted to learning-disabled, complete two or three independent projects each year in addition to satisfying state syllabus requirements. The Brain-Flex program challenges students to stretch themselves beyond standardized instructional methods and dominant capabilities.…

In the Charlotte-Mecklenburg (North Carolina) Public Schools, thousands of gifted children are tackling challenging, real-world problems correlated with curricular expectations. This gifted program fuses three philosophies: multiple-intelligences theory, problem-centered learning, and a thoughtful atmosphere to foster critical and creative…

Retiring after 19 years as editor of "Educational Leadership," Ron Brandt discusses memorable people he has interviewed and innovations he has heralded, such as the effective-schools movement, thinking skills, brain-based learning, and Dimensions of Learning. He favors articles providing a glimpse of the incredibly complex process of moving a…

In June 1993, after three months of intensive teacher training, the author and 45 other Peace Corps volunteers dispersed to towns in Kazakstan, a struggling former Soviet province. Students at Swezy's secondary school spoke broken English, were very respectful, wore uniforms, and were required to share answers and to clean the school regularly.…

Digital literacy, the ability to understand, evaluate, and integrate information in multiple, computer-delivered formats, is a critical skill. A multimedia computer with an Internet connection allows people to construct information from around the world. Virtual instruction is best used to supplement, not replace classroom teachers. Educators…

Regarding technology-based educational improvement, systemic reform involves two major shifts: including possibilities for "distributed learning"--using information technologies off-campus to enhance classroom activities; and reconfiguring existing budgets to free up money for innovation, instead of relying on special, external resources. Giving…

To avoid underuse, inaccessibility, and obsolescence when choosing, purchasing, and using technology, educators should maximize the number of students sharing machines, build technology into the curriculum, ensure continuous accessibility, network computers, and build physical plant considerations into their purchase plans. A single high-end…

For uncritical users, the Web can be a tangle of misinformation. A teacher offers tips to help educators and student evaluate the validity of Web sites. The four Ws of site validation involve determining who wrote the site, what the site is saying, when the site was created, and where it originated. Learners should not rely solely on Web resources…

For the past few years, the Annenberg Institute for School Reform and the Coalition of Essential Schools have been investigating the digital portfolio--a software program that creates a multimedia collection of student work and aligns it with performance standards. Of five critical elements, school culture is the most crucial for making the…

Thanks to a joint effort between the Orange County (Florida) Schools and Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, nonreading middle schoolers are moving beyond shame to conquer literacy problems. Students participate daily in a learning lab employing multimedia software designed to improve word recognition, reading comprehension, and spelling…

Southeastern New Hampshire schoolchildren are involved in three network science projects for grades 2-8: Batnet, Birdnet, and Treenet. The listserv projects were developed by a group of teachers interested in using the computer-Internet connection to enrich and extend the science learning. Network science makes topics more real, lends immediacy to…

A veteran English-as-a-Second-Language teacher recently discovered the effectiveness of using videos and TV together with a diverse student population that speaks 22 languages. Video segments linked to tasks, close-captioned instructional TV programs, and interactive TV and video helped students with language acquisition skills. The idea was to…

Because many kindergarten activities do not require paper and pencils, digital photography gave one class in Bronx, New York, a quick, easy method of saving special moments and documenting experiences. The children quickly learned to use the camera, download pictures to the computer, and use software to crop and alter their pictures, sometimes…