This paper reports the results of a survey and follow-up interviews that were administered to instructors of the undergraduate systems analysis and design course, a core course of the Information Systems curriculum. The goal of this research was to learn if the background of the instructor, in terms of industry experience, affects the purpose and…

The purpose of this study was to describe the coaching that occurred at Head Start (HS) grantees as a result of the Early Learning Mentor Coach (ELMC) initiative. This provided a unique opportunity to describe the different dimensions of coaching within HS settings from the perspective of multiple stakeholders--administrators, coaches, and staff.…

The Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS) is sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education and is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. TFS is a follow-up survey of selected elementary and secondary school teachers who participated in the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). SASS is the…

Research on academic achievement has demonstrated the important role that teachers play in improving student outcomes and has also revealed wide variation in teachers' qualifications and experiences across schools. Schools serving low-income students in urban areas, for example, have fewer well-qualified teachers than schools in nonurban settings…

This report provides a portrait of children who entered Head Start for the first time in fall 2009 and completed a year in the program in spring 2010. It also describes their family backgrounds and the classrooms and programs that serve them. Data are drawn from the 2009 cohort of the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), a…

The continued high visibility of occupational certification programs and their increasing presence in secondary and postsecondary educational institutions raises questions about the value of these credentials for those seeking entry into the workforce. Of note is the message or signal an occupational certification sends to employers of entry-level…

While nearly all states now have something on their books labeled "alternate route to certification," these programs defy standard definition due to their enormous variability. States differ in the types of candidates allowed to apply (e.g., career changers or recent college graduates) and in the academic backgrounds these individuals must…

This report presents the main findings of the first phase of an ongoing study on improving the quality of children's early learning in England and Wales. The purpose of the project is to investigate the ways in which early learning in group settings can be improved by raising the quality of the practice of those professionals who work with young…

To assess the relationship between the competencies taught in ten Wisconsin two-year Associate Degree Electronic Technology programs and the competencies needed on the job, a study surveyed program graduates and employers of graduates regarding the effectiveness of the curriculum. The survey instruments were based on the 120 broad competencies…