Data-based decision making should be the driving force in any early care and education setting. Data usage compels early childhood practitioners and leaders to make decisions on the basis of more than just professional instinct. This article explores why early childhood schools should be using data for continuous quality improvement at various…

We have created an inventory to characterize the teaching practices used in science and mathematics courses. This inventory can aid instructors and departments in reflecting on their teaching. It has been tested with several hundred university instructors and courses from mathematics and four science disciplines. Most instructors complete the…

The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) and the National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium (NAEPDC), with funding from the National Institute for Literacy, created a one-day workshop to assist practitioners and administrators in adult basic education, TANF (Transitional Assistance for Needy…

The final report describes a 3 year project to develop research utilization modules to improve educational services through camping for the physically handicapped. An introductory chapter lists four major project goals--to research the state of the art of camping for the physically handicapped; to systematically identify the competencies needed…

One of a series of reports resulting from a Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education project to improve planning and evaluation in community colleges, this report explains how colleges can use census data to assess the characteristics and educational requirements of individuals in their service areas. The report begins with a…

The Prevention Training Institute has been developed to pilot a new strategy to assist inner-city service providers to further recognize and act on their own empowerment. Service providers must have the necessary capacities to incorporate new directions. These include knowledge of the current research, access to resources, and an understanding of…

The Mentor Teacher Project, initiated in 1985, involved the development and implementation of a new field component into the Academic Learning Teacher Education Program at Michigan State University. The field component, piloted with the Academic Learning students in the class of 1987, was subsequently revised and its impact on the class of 1988…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a 3-year federally supported project in New York to replicate effective partnerships between community rehabilitation programs and school districts working to improve the transition of youth with disabilities to post-school employment. Through use of a direct mentoring process, the…

In response to recommendations from an accreditation visit regarding improvements in the utilization of research findings, Washington's Bellevue Community College (BCC) developed this assessment inventory to give faculty and staff a more complete understanding of student outcomes and assessment efforts at the college. Following an executive…

The Teacher Education and Mentoring Program (TEAM) allows intern teachers who have not completed the required teacher education courses prior to employment as regular classroom teachers to have the support of master teachers, or mentors, while teaching with provisional certification. The internship is a closely supervised practicum with each…

The Collaboration for the Improvement of Teacher Education (CITE) Project, now beginning its third year, consists of a blocked semester of three courses--curriculum and methods, social aspects of teaching, and measurement and evaluation--and the related field experience activities occurring at the pre-student teaching level. Approximately 120…

Suggests that data from the assessment of students' goals can be used to improve retention by fostering student integration with the college environment. Describes the use of the Student Goals Inventory (SGI) with first-year students at two community colleges, indicating that the assessment program is practical to administer, monitor, and…

The Rehabilitation Engineering Center (Palo Alto, California) has developed a wide range of patient services which provide assistance to the disabled community in northern California and various research activities which have had impact on the disabled population nationally. The Center has three philosophical goals: to assist each child toward as…

Various approaches to introductory courses in social work research in Canada are described. Objectives of the report are to promote informational exchange among instructors in schools of social work, to provide data on common practices employed in the instruction of introductory research, to encourage innovation and experimentation, and to aid in…

The development of a graduate survey at Ohio Dominican College is described, and guidelines for implementing a graduate survey are provided. The survey assessed student characteristics, activities during college, endeavors after graduation, and attitudes, goals, and values. Project goals included: developing a graduate survey that could also be…