U.VA. PROGRAM CHOSEN FOR NATIONAL CASE STUDY

	CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Sept. 14 -- The University of
Virginia's Curry School of Education has been selected as a site for
a national case study of successful teacher education programs.
	The five-year program, based jointly in the College of Arts
and Sciences and the Curry School of Education, is one of seven
programs across the nation participating in the case study conducted
by the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools and
Teaching (NCREST).  The study will document goals, content and
processes of the programs while also examining the policies,
organizational structure and resources that make them successful.
	The Curry School's program was chosen because of its
recognized success in preparing future teachers and its ability to
accommodate students' diverse learning needs.  "We are very pleased
about the selection," said Greta Morine-Dershimer, director of
teacher education at the Curry School.
	The initial phase of the case study will begin this fall
with researchers spending time with students, observing courses and
interviewing faculty and former students.  The case study will
conclude in the spring by surveying the records and performances of
former graduates of the program.
	The results of the case study will be published in a book
about teacher education, expected to go to press by the end of
1996.  Researchers hope that the case study will serve as a tool to 
U.VA. PROGRAM CHOSEN FOR NATIONAL CASE STUDY -- Page 2
better prepare teachers to meet the diverse learning needs of
students.  The study will also be used by the National Commission on
Teaching and America's Future, chaired by Governor James B. Hunt Jr.
of North Carolina and directed by Linda Darling-Hammond, co-director
of NCREST, which is based at Columbia University's Teachers College.
	"The improvement of teacher education depends in part on the
documentation of successful models for preparing teachers, so that
policy and practice can be developed to extend these models more
widely," Darling-Hammond said.
	Founded in 1905, the Curry School of Education is nationally
recognized for its innovative degree programs and faculty
expertise.  Its five-year teacher-education program combines a
strong academic focus with professional training and is a
centerpiece of the School's mission in improving the quality of
teachers.  In its first ranking of graduate education schools in
1995, U.S. News & World Report magazine placed the Curry School 13th
in the nation and cited it as a pioneer in high-tech pedagogy.
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September 13, 1995