In March 1978, under the suggestion of Chinese-born Nobel Prize laureate Tsung-Dao Lee, China launched its first gifted education program at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). Based on nominations and interviews, 21 gifted students aged 11-16 were enrolled in USTC and comprised a special class. Five years later, the early…

Heather B. Weiss and Priscilla D. Little of the Harvard Family Research Project suggest seven possible approaches to strengthening OST (Out-of-School) organizations, including methods to ensure that OST providers become stronger partners with other groups and more adept advocates for their field. Strategies discussed include: (1) Cultivate…

The literature on curricular integration in Jewish education has tended to focus on two basic paradigms. In the first paradigm, the integration of Jewish and general studies curricula represents the aspiration that the graduates of the institution will likewise integrate Jewish and general studies (or "Americanism" or "modernity") in their lives.…

From 2005 to 2008, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is funding a series of distance education (DE) studies in its Pan Asia Networking (PAN) region. Eight collaborative projects are under way in Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The…

Discusses the development of library and information services in Micronesia and presents a model of a Micronesian information system that includes bibliographic utilities, computer facilities, and information databases. Telecommunications capabilities are described, the shortage of library and information professionals is discussed, and sources…

Presents introductory materials, 17 papers and reports, and summaries of discussion sessions in five sections: Accreditation in Higher Education; Models of Accreditation Structure in Other Professional Fields; Accreditation in the Field of Library and Information Science; The Working Committees; and The Next Steps. A 22-item bibliography is…

Discussion of staff development in distance education focuses on the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) for developing instructional design skills in subject experts. Contingency theories of management are examined, literature on CBAM is reviewed, and use of CBAM in a course team approach for course development is described. (22 references) (LRW)

Focuses on the importance of developing the native language (L1), i.e., "Bahasa Melayu," as a firm foundation for the learning of a second language (L2) in Brunei and analyzes problems facing learners of "Bahasa Melayu" and English in Brunei classrooms. Saravanan's response focuses on the structure of the Brunesian bilingual…

Only two of the most popular school improvement models for elementary schools have "moderately strong" evidence to show that they work, according to a consumer-style guide released last week by a Washington-based research group. The federally financed report by the American Institutes for Research rates 22 of the most widely used…

Several problems exist with the rural knowledge base as it is traditionally conceived: (1) there is no useful rural definition with the diverse rural reality; (2) rural is undervalued as reflected in teacher education and training and in the stereotyping of regions in the country; (3) issues of sparsity, scarcity and size are disregarded, and (4)…

Each year, the Policies Commission for Business and Economic Education develops statements regarding business education. The following are among the commission's guidelines regarding planning the business education curriculum for the new century: (1) making business education an integral and equal partner within schools' educational communities…

The U.S. Commissioner of Education introduced career education (CE) as a formal concept in the 1970s. The first formal CE efforts were concentrated on demonstration projects in grades K-12. In the 1980s and beyond, government and private agencies, business and industry, labor, commerce, education, citizenry, nonprofit associations, and others…

This document contains the texts of 22 papers presented at a conference on vocational education for special needs persons (including handicapped, disadvantaged, and limited English-speaking persons). Papers in the volume range from the theoretical to practical "how-to" suggestions. The following topics are covered in the conference papers: using…

Unlike many other countries of the world, the United States and Canada have yet to use distance education as a deliberate instrument of a comprehensive public policy agenda. Despite this shared failure to use distance education to advance public policy, the individual states of the United States and Canada's provinces differ widely in their…

This document argues the importance of schools' actual and potential role for adult learners in England and recommends ways of overcoming the barriers to participation created by current priorities, policies, and practices. Chapter 1 discusses the following themes: (1) the role of learning in a program for communities in crisis; (2) how priorities…