More and more cities and counties fund and run their own early childhood programs, but each seems to operate them in its own unique way. While the opportunity to design and build a new program can be inspiring, the process itself can be painstaking and fraught with second guesses. Unfortunately, there are few resources to help policymakers and…

The ongoing reading crisis in the United States necessitates a shift toward instructional practices that are firmly grounded in empirical research. This manuscript critiques the use of Alphabetic Phonics, not only for its reliance on multisensory techniques but also for its incorporation of instructional features that contradict the principles of…

Purpose: Community engaged research and learning strategies are considered meaningful methods for universities to demonstrate their critical importance to today's societies. At the same time, it is stressed that not all approaches are equally beneficial, highlighting the need for well-considered design and delivery. This paper aims to outline a…

State aid for special education shapes local decisions about identifying students for special education, the programs and services to which students have access and in which students with disabilities are educated, and how local educators structure and administer their special education programs. The connection between state funding for special…

Prospective elementary teacher (PSET) education programs vary greatly in the courses and course sequences employed to prepare their students. This article explores potential tradeoffs that arise for mathematics teacher educators, PSETs, and their future students due to the choices PSET education programs make regarding their design. Specifically,…

Undergraduate internships are among one of the several high impact practices (HIPs) related to deep learning, self-reported gains, and effective educational practices (Kuh, 2008). HIPs, as measured by the National Survey on Student Engagement, utilize active learning practices, and share several traits: (1) they demand considerable time and…

Supported decision-making has emerged as an alternative to traditional models of guardianship as a means to support people with intellectual disability to be maximally included in the totality of their lives. Based on social-ecological models of disability that emphasize personal strengths and abilities and supports that enable people to fully…

Default options exert an influence in areas as varied as retirement program design, organ donation policy, and consumer choice. Past research has offered potential reasons why no-action defaults matter: (a) effort, (b) implied endorsement, and (c) reference dependence. The first two of these explanations have been experimentally demonstrated, but…

District Awards for Teacher Excellence (D.A.T.E.) is a state-funded program in Texas that provides grants to districts for the implementation of locally-designed incentive pay plans. All districts in the state are eligible to receive grants, but participation is voluntary. D.A.T.E. incentive pay plans were first implemented in Texas districts…

District Awards for Teacher Excellence (D.A.T.E.) is a state-funded program in Texas that provides grants to districts for the implementation of locally-designed performance pay plans. All districts in the state are eligible to receive grants, but participation is voluntary. As D.A.T.E. continues in its second year of operation with approximately…

In order to help users make informed decisions when buying communications software, this article suggests that buyers consider communications software compatibility; software protocols for data transmission; software products offering compatibility with Telenet, Prestel, and Ethernet/XTEN; specific intended applications; and specialized features…

Trade-off analysis, a powerful and precise research technique, can help an institution determine the direction in which it must move to change its position within the competitive market space. (MSE)

The advantages and disadvantages of the Teachers Insurance Annuity Association (TIAA) and College Retirement Equities Fund (CREF) as investment vehicles for college faculty are examined, and guidelines for faculty to use in evaluating their investment options are offered. Some data on TIAA-CREF performance are included. (MSE)

Discussed are case studies of four early childhood special education programs, selected to represent a variety of approaches to early childhood special education decision-making and a variety of settings. The case studies focus on issues in diagnostic assessment and are used as the basis for assessment guidelines. (Author/MSE)

Program design can aid problem-solving or decision-making tasks faced by evaluators. It can be used to facilitate evaluation planning through the definition of program boundaries and the generation and focusing of evaluation questions. Further, it can provide evaluation information about theoretical, historical, and political contexts of a…