To counter tuition and textbook costs for degree-seeking students, a specific pathway to a bachelor's degree in Leadership was developed. The pathway, comprised of partnerships with the high school Leadership Academy at a public high school, community college, and Old Dominion University (ODU), reduced tuition and textbook costs, allowing the…

Physical education is critical to addressing childhood obesity, yet many school-based programs do not meet established quality standards and teachers are called upon to change. Little is known about how change is initiated and its associated internal and external factors. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate physical education…

The purpose of this research was to determine the future critical issues and problems facing the K-12 technology and engineering education profession in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This study was based on the Wicklein nationwide studies (1993a, 2005). Even though this study did not exactly replicate the Wicklein studies--since it was limited to…

Multiyear study of a small school district in Virginia finds that portfolios enhance the accountability and professional development purposes of teacher evaluation. While finding portfolios to be fair and accurate measures of teacher performance, teachers and administrators expressed concern about the time required to develop them. (Contains 3…

Analysis of responses of Virginia educators (n=788) to a survey concerning increased integration of students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) found limited program change-related guidelines or category-specific outcome-monitoring measures. Doubts about the ability and willingness of general education teachers to make instructional changes…

The implementation and results of a project to optimize the learning program at Wytheville Community College are discussed. A systems approach to instruction was selected as the best method of assuring continuing improvement of the teaching/learning process, the productivity of the college, and, ultimately, the long-range goals of the college. An…

A formative evaluation was made of the second phase of a Workshop-Seminar series which is part of a projected collaborative teacher education program involving the Richmond (Virginia) City Public Schools and Virginia Commonwealth University. The intent of the Collaborative Teacher Education Program (CoTEEP) is to develop a coherent program for…

The purpose of this practicum was to show the development and evaluation of a multi-unit elementary school (MUS-E) using Individually Guided Education. As an organizational structure capable of permitting planned change. MUS-E provides for the growth of its students on an individual basis, provides in-service for its teachers, involves the public…

A third-party evaluation was conducted of the first year of the Exploring Careers through Experiential Learning project (ExCEL). ExCEL is a planned adaptation of the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory model (NWREL) to meet the needs of students in Prince William County, Virginia, and to assist high school students in successful transition to…

The mission of the Appalachian Rural Systemic Initiative (ARSI) was to build a long-term capacity that would improve the educational structures of the rural communities it served. The major strategy ARSI used to create improvement communities across Appalachia was to identify, embrace and educate individual teachers, who became ARSI Teacher…

The Virginia 1999-2000 Learning Disabilities Training and Dissemination (LDTD) project was undertaken to improve educational services to adults with learning disabilities. During the project, learners and tutors from six community-based literacy programs across Virginia volunteered to share their experiences as they participated in pilot testing…