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The GALAXY Classroom is a package of integrated curricular and instructional approaches, supported by the first U.S. interactive satellite communications network designed to facilitate the introduction of innovative curricula to improve student learning in elementary schools. GALAXY Classroom Science for grades 3-5 features the organization of instruction around themes presented through television broadcasts and classroom hands-on activities that are facilitated by fax technology and ongoing teacher support. The broadcasts are built around a video adventure series that dramatizes the GALAXY themes through the real-world adventures of a multicultural group of students, the S.N.O.O.P.S. The report describes the effects on students and teachers of the various curricular, technological, and staff development components of the program in schools throughout the United States. It was concluded that the GALAXY Science program was successful in getting students and teachers excited about science and motivating them to begin exploring and asking questions. GALAXY's broadcasts motivated student interest and provided a realistic context for the hands-on science activities. The thematic structure of the curriculum helped to integrate a wide variety of experiences: participating in hands-on inquiry, writing and communicating through the fax, and doing take-home activities. (JRH)

The GALAXY Language Arts Demonstration Program is a package of integrated curricular and instructional approaches that features the organization of instruction around themes presented through television broadcasts, children's literature, classroom activities, and the use of interactive technology. During the GALAXY Project demonstration phase for language arts in grades 3 through 5, classrooms in 37 schools were connected by an interactive satellite communications network. Seven successive themes were used, including such issues as fairness, personal privacy, and first impressions. Television broadcasts dramatized the GALAXY themes through a continuing show about the lives of a multicultural group of students. Specifically, GALAXY classrooms utilized a core of six literature books for each of the seven themes, a take-home magazine ("The Second Story"), a periodic response bulletin ("The Max"), a teacher's guide with suggestions on reading and writing strategies, and a wide choice of classroom activities for before, between, and after the two broadcasts for each theme. Measures of student learning were administered in all GALAXY classrooms and in two kinds of comparison classrooms, classrooms which were not using the program in GALAXY schools and others in demographically similar schools where GALAXY was not being implemented. Additionally repeated observations and interviews were carried out in five case study schools throughout the United States. Testing 2,826 students in GALAXY and comparison classrooms showed that GALAXY students outperformed others in reading and vocabulary growth, but GALAXY students did not outperform the others in writing achievement. Eleven appendixes provide technical information about the study, sample performance assessments, scoring guides, and results from a teacher survey. (Contains 8 figures, 37 tables, and 19 additional tables in the appendixes.) (SLD)

The background and major activities of a 2-year study on adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs and practices are reported. Descriptions are provided of the nomination process for programs that teach literacy to adults not fully proficient in English, and the study site selection and case studies of nine programs are described. The programs include the following: Haitian Multi-Service Center (Dorchester, Massachusetts); Refugee Women's Alliance (Seattle, Washington); Literacy Education Action, El Paso Community College, Texas; Literacy/ESL Program, International Institute of Rhode Island; UAW (United Auto Workers)/Chrysler Tech Prep Academy (Ypsilanti, Michigan); El Barrio Popular Education Program (New York, New York); Project Workplace Literacy Partners for the Manufacturing Industry in Cook County (Illinois); Arlington Education and Employment Program (Virginia); and Lao Family Community of Minnesota, Family English Literacy Program. Study results suggest the following: (1) increased access to classes and skilled teachers; (2) comprehensive long-term planning that takes into account quality and funding cycles; (3) staff development geared to adult ESL literacy; (4) improved career paths for adult ESL literacy teachers; (5) reconciliation of the diversity of program types and approaches with funders' desire for program comparisons and accountability; (6) development of alternative assessment instruments; (7) forums for practitioners to share ideas; and (8) longitudinal research to determine which approaches work under which circumstances. (LB) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)

In June 1998, California started an evaluation of standards-based accountability. The evaluation focused on the status and impact of local accountability systems, content standards, assessment measures, use of data, consequences and incentives, and assistance in school districts across the state. In the course of the study, the California legislature enacted a new state-driven accountability plan that replaced the system the evaluation was examining. Data from the field thus reflected the existing program and attitudes toward the new program, which included an academic performance index and assistance, intervention, and incentives plans for schools. The school district was the primary unit of analysis, and the cornerstone of the evaluation was a survey of 200 California school districts that included the state's 120 largest districts. Interviews with administrators and teachers, as well as educational policymakers, provided study data. At the time of the surveys, most districts were still in the early stages of developing their local standards-based accountability system. The most common elements implemented to that point were content standards and assessments. Findings show that the development of accountability systems is a long and messy process. Although people hold varying views on accountability, many equate it with assessment. Many people support the concept of accountability, but there is less support for the details of its implementation. Recommendations are made for coherence in the accountability system, communication about accountability, assessment for accountability, and capacity building. Overall, educators in California need to align what already exists more than they need to move forward with new initiatives. An appendix contains the application for funding categorical aid programs and the interview protocols from the study. (Contains 27 figures and 37 references. (SLD)

Varied approaches to providing adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy programs are described, including those connected to community-based organizations and welfare offices. Funding factors for workplace literacy and family literacy programs are noted. (one reference) (LB)

An overview of the salient issues in adult English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) literacy is presented as reported in the literature on adult education and applied linguistics. Emphasis is on programs that have implemented promising practices and effective approaches to help ESL students develop their literacy skills. Characteristics of effective adult ESL literacy programs are first outlined, and then several major themes are discussed, including: theoretical bases for different views of curriculum; varying approaches to literacy development in a second language; and assessment issues such as providing meaningful evidence of student progress both to funding sources and to students and teachers. The issue of teaching native language literacy to support the learning of English is also discussed, with emphasis on biliteracy and Spanish language literacy. Several promising practices are outlined, including using the language experience approach with ESL literacy students, and developing techniques for dealing with the multi-level classroom composed of literacy students with varied exposure to print. Lists of teacher resources are provided that include textbooks, ESL literacy guides and manuals, and other resources such as authentic materials. Contains approximately 300 references. (LB) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)

Background information is presented on components and practices in adult English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) literacy programs. In Part I, Characteristics of ESL Literacy Programs, answers are given to questions covering definitions of an ESL literacy program, who the students are, goals of ESL literacy programs, and types of literacy programs eligible for nomination in the National English Literacy Demonstration Program for Adults of Limited English Proficiency. Part II of this paper outlines components that research has shown to be effective parts of adult literacy programs: community outreach, needs assessment, program design, curriculum, approaches and methods, initial assessment and progress evaluation, staff development, and support services. Examples of each are given. Part III illustrates types of evidence of program effectiveness, including progress in literacy development (e.g. student writings, test scores, anecdotal evidence) and evidence of outcomes that can be linked to literacy education (e.g. transfer to mainstream programs, greater use of community services, increased confidence and participation). (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education) (LB)