When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was reauthorized in 2004, it included provisions to reduce administrative and paperwork requirements to address concerns about burden. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to review federal efforts to reduce burden related to meeting IDEA requirements for educating…

The Wallace Foundation is funding a multiyear demonstration project to determine whether voluntary, district summer learning programs can stem summer learning loss for low-income students. Six districts--Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Duval County (Florida), Pittsburgh, and Rochester, New York--were selected for the demonstration project and…

The purpose of this report is to support educational administrators and policymakers in becoming informed consumers of information about online learning and its potential impact on educational productivity. The report provides foundational knowledge needed to examine and understand the potential contributions of online learning to educational…

The link between learning and the knowledge-economy is so crucial that the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development has reconceptualised the term knowledge-economy to call it "learning economy". Ultimately, one of the main challenges of learning and development in the 21st century is to evaluate the significant learning…

Even though many European and Japanese students spend as many as 8 hours daily and 220 days yearly in the classroom, 661 American superintendents believe the present U.S. average--6 hours and 180 days--to be adequate, raising questions about their potential support in changing the system. (KS)

To make sure students' time in school is used efficiently and advantageously, some simple ways to improve time use are suggested. It is important to assess time use to ensure that a school schedules enough time for basics, is using learning time and teaching time well, and is not duplicating subject matter. (MD)

Although policymakers have recently tended to call for longer school days or years, such reforms might be ineffective or counterproductive if they fail to take into account the interactions between time and other determinants of learning, including the role of the student in allocating time. Research has shown that the amount of learning is a…

This study was undertaken to generate and analyze survey data for evaluating time management practices among directors of large academic libraries. Questionnaires were mailed to 194 library directors and the 159 survey respondents (82%) provided information about their experience and other characteristics; how they allocate their time; to what…

Outlines statistical data on national curriculum patterns. Fewer than two percent of all graduating seniors meet or exceed the standards for college-bound students. Includes statistical data on courses students study, number of students per computer, dropout rates, activities of graduates, and test score averages.(MD)

In Spring 2007, educators in 63 participating Ohio school districts across the state spoke out on working conditions in their schools by participating in a web-based survey that addressed key teaching and learning conditions related to time, empowerment, school leadership, professional development, and facilities and resources. This is the final…

The study examined how adding students with learning disabilities (LD) to regular education classrooms changed the behavior of nonhandicapped students and their teachers. Initial observations were of mainstream classes containing no learning-disabled students. Observations were again conducted after LD students had been mainstreamed for 8 months.…

The main reasons that students drop out of high school are poor grades, family problems, and financial problems. The school reform movement may compound marginal students' difficulties and cause more students to drop out. (MD)

The advantages and disadvantages of changing class lengths at Montclair State College to a standardized 75-minute period were studied by a faculty senate task force. The task force assessment involved: a faculty survey of the proposal for changing class periods; consideration of comments submitted by faculty, staff, and others; an open discussion…

Direct observation procedures were utilized in assessing the social interactions of 37 adults with severe disabilities in 18 employment programs, representing 3 different supported employment contexts (individual, enclave, and work crew). The data gathered focused on: (1) job engagement time; (2) extent of interaction with work supervisor, human…

Several years ago, a coalition of Chicago civic groups met to determine the scope of the urban dropout problem and develop strategies for dealing with it. The resulting research program rejected both attrition and survey analysis approaches in favor of direct examination of all student records for three graduating classes (1982, 1983, and 1984)…