The report of the national response to intervention (RTI) evaluation study, conducted during 2011-2012, was released in November 2015. Anyone who has read the lengthy report can attest to its complexity and the design used in the study. Both these factors can influence the interpretation of the results from this evaluation. In this commentary, we…

Recommendations from the Wirtz/Lapointe report, "Measuring The Quality of Education" (ED 213 769), which evaluates National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), are presented. Six educators respond to the concern that NAEP's reports and material are not widely known or as useful to educators as they should be. (CM)

Flaws in the New Communities program that are discussed in this essay include: (1) defective financial arrangements; (2) a lack of strategic aims and/or a special constituency; (3) inadequate backing by State and local governments; (4) poor leadership; (5) insufficient provisions for dealing with a poor national economy; and (6) private developer…

Describes the creation and objectives of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and reviews the findings of an evaluation of the NAEP, published in "Measuring the Quality of Education," by Wirtz and Lapointe. Focuses on the role that the NAEP can play in establishing uniform, national educational standards. (GC)

Some of the tensions in the adult literacy and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) fields are explored from both the state and institutional level in Australia. In an effort to promote discussion at a national conference, several questions are posed regarding these and other issues: national goals/priorities/accountability, funding for professional…

The main purpose of this paper is to provide a basis for discussing issues associated with the process of "going to scale" with programs of early childhood development. "Going to Scale" programs are described as those that attempt to reach as many potential beneficiaries as possible at a regional, national, or even worldwide…

This paper examines the administration of funds under Title III of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act by the Department of Labor (DOL) with respect to women workers. (Title III funds are discretionary funds administered by DOL's Employment and Training Administration, Division of National Programs (DNP), to provide additional services…

Research on compensatory education from 1965 to 1975 questioned whether such programs improved academic performance. Subsequent studies, however, have found compensatory education generally effective and have identified such components of successful basic skills instruction as greater time on task and more parental involvement. (PB)

Reviews the mandate and mission of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) and describes its successful initiatives supporting library issues and community library programs. Excerpts from a letter written by Marilyn L. Miller, president of the American Library Association, in support of NCLIS are included. (EA)

Although Japanese society has long valued and practiced lifelong learning, it has not yet been successful in building an ethic that prizes learning, teaches creativity, and includes everyone. Bureaucratic and legal mechanisms undertaken in Japan to promote lifelong learning have included the establishment of Lifelong Learning Councils, a system…

Criticizes the National History Standards for attempting to cover too much material and burdening teachers with unrealistic objectives and expectations. Recommends a closer coordination of educational objectives with historical material in an attempt to clarify the standards and make them more effective. (MJP)

Discusses the evolution of state-level assessment activities of college graduates' skills/outcomes to provide a context for a proposed national system and examines extent and types of testing in six states. Addresses the purposes of postsecondary assessment and draws conclusions as to institutional support needed to sustain a collaborative system.…

This article uses the development of a "Research Quality Framework" in Australia as a focus for reflection on the way in which quality is assessed in relation to education research, and a consideration of the role and situation of a national association of education research in relation to that. The study examines ways in which…

This report explains the state of child care in Canada and proposes specific solutions to remedy the inadequacies of the current system. Part one discusses the changing composition and needs of Canadian families, defines the nature of child care, and explains what a comprehensive child care system should consist of. Part two addresses the…

A project was conducted to assist chief state school officers by assessing the effectiveness of government programs involving the dissemination of new knowledge in the field of education. Project results showed that dissemination programs developed by the National Institute of Education (NIE) and other federal departments substantially increased…