This report illustrates how four high-performing systems--British Columbia (Canada), Hong Kong, Shanghai (China) and Singapore--developed their teacher professional learning. The report and accompanying materials are designed as a resource for teachers, school leaders and policymakers wanting to improve teacher professional learning in their…

Even as the number of students attending college has more than doubled in the past forty years, it is still the case that nearly half of all college students in the United States will not complete their degree within six years. It is clear that much remains to be done toward improving student success. For more than twenty years, Vincent Tinto's…

The Council of Chief State School Officers' "Accommodations Manual: How to Select, Administer, and Evaluate the Use of Accommodations for Instruction and Assessment of Students with Disabilities" was first developed to establish guidelines for states to use for the selection, administration, and evaluation of accommodations for…

This report presents the outcomes of the analysis of Grade Level of Achievement (GLA) data at the provincial level to inform the program planning and evaluation needs of Alberta Education as well as school and central office based administrators. GLA data reported to Alberta Education is a teacher's judgment of a student's academic progress. GLA…

This highly practical guide is grounded in the authors' experience setting up and running a successful professional development program to improve K-3 reading instruction. The book systematically describes how professional development works: how sessions are organized, what they contain, routines and procedures, and the roles of each participant.…

This how-to guide and workbook helps planners and participants who want to develop an exemplary mentoring program or upgrade an existing one. It is designed to help readers: obtain broad-based commitment and participation from key individuals and groups; understand and work within the larger environment in which a mentoring program operates; form…

Directed to Canadian directors of centers for adult education, this document describes what constitutes quality in a center for adult education and tells how to develop a high quality center. The document consists of three chapters and two appendices. Chapter 1 explains the five dimensions that determine the quality of a center and the 5 factors…

PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) was applied to a federal project developing curriculum materials for the mentally retarded. A 34-step process lattice and PERT chart were useful for long-range planning, supervising the activity, providing accountability, and training new staff members. (Author/DB)

This handbook is intended as a resource for schools and districts interested in developing and implementing a standards-based assessment system. The chapters in the handbook introduce key steps in the assessment development process. Several types of on-demand and cumulative assessments are emphasized, including multiple-choice and written-response…

The paper examines varieties of program assessment in institutions of higher education and proposes a procedure to implement systematic assessment of program outcomes. Presented in a question-and-answer format, the paper first addresses common faculty concerns about formal assessment in sections titled, "Why Not Use GPA (Grade Point Average)?" and…

Assessment in higher education is shifting from the state house to the college campus. Information is provided to help campus administrators make the best decision regarding their institutions. A general perspective is offered to senior administrators with little previous experience in systematic assessment. Section I, "Assessment: What Is It…

This article describes the Departmental Computing Coordinators program implemented at Loyola University (Chicago) to manage and support computing activities at the departmental level. The basis of the program is a standard position accountability included in job descriptions of departmental employees who hold computing responsibilities. (Author)

In an effort to foster professionalism and staff development within the Technical and Further Education college staff, a voluntary appraisal program, Facilitated Appraisal for College Executives (FACE), was developed. A handbook is presented which gives background information and some suggestions users may find helpful in implementing the (FACE)…

This publication, one of a series examining the issue of faculty workload and productivity, argues that the key to institutional change in higher education is the role of college faculty and offers recommendations for improving and measuring college faculty productivity. The paper begins with a conceptual model for discussing faculty productivity,…

On October 20, 1994, President Clinton signed into law the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994. This statute contains amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, including the reauthorization of Chapter 1, as the newly entitled Title I. The reauthorized Title I drastically restructures the direction of former remedial…