The purpose of this study was to develop a model of a mentoring program for first year media specialists by exploring existing examples. Qualitative methods were employed in conducting this research. A document review was undertaken to establish accepted mentoring program guidelines. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with coordinators of…

Discusses components of the parent cooperative model implemented at the Boston Children's Center. (BB)

In U.S. K-12 public education, incentive pay for educators remains firmly fixed as a high-interest policy topic and has recently become a popular reform initiative in many school systems. The Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF), created in 2006 by the U.S. Department of Education, is at the forefront of this policy movement and has provided hundreds of…

Our action research project report provided students with social skills training to effectively handle bullying situations in the fourth grade. Our study involved 70 fourth-grade students and began Monday, January 14, 2008 and concluded Friday, May 2, 2008. The behaviors documented from the fourth grade students were name calling, exclusion,…

A study examined the effectiveness of the Chapter 1 Early Literacy Summer School program. The program provided additional reading instruction to underachieving first-grade pupils at seven schools located throughout the Columbus, Ohio public school district. The program featured group instruction (with many of the activities modeled after the…

In 1991, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) authorized, under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), a specific grants program. The State Systems for Transitions Services for Youth with Disabilities Program made available competitive 5-year grants to individual states for establishing responsive state…

A survey of volunteer programs in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy instruction in Illinois is reported. The report begins with a review of literature concerning ESL literacy volunteerism, most of which is descriptive and program-specific. The statewide survey results are then summarized, giving an overview of ESL volunteer programming.…

This study assessed the attitudes of three groups that participated in Upward Bound, a newly instituted academic advisory program at Tomball High School in Texas. It also provided a baseline of data to measure students' academic performance. The three groups, 300 high school freshmen, 115 of their parents, and 33 full time faculty, responded to…

The Tesseract Schools in Baltimore City are nine public schools operated by The Alliance for Schools That Work, an association of for-profit businesses. This document contains findings of a program evaluation of grades 1-5 conducted by the University of Maryland at Baltimore City. The study compared seven Tesseract elementary schools with a…

In spring 1996, William Rainey Harper College (WRHC), in Illinois, undertook an evaluation of its preschool facilities, or Child Learning Centers, at the main campus and at WRHC's Northeast Center. Telephone surveys were conducted of 21 former student teachers to determine their evaluation of the Centers and of the learning experience the Centers…

This Head Start On-Site Program Review Instrument (OSPRI) is used to monitor and evaluate Head Start Programs to verify basic compliance with program standards. OSPRI contains Head Start Performance Standards, Performance Standards on Services to Children with Disabilities, and specific program regulations in the areas of recruitment,…

This study of 22 individuals (ages 13-20) with cerebral palsy investigated the use of scanning, an interface technique that allows access to assistive devices such as communication boards, electronic augmentative communication devices, and computers by using a pointer, either a finger or a cursor. This packet of information includes the findings…

New York City's Transitional Child Care (TCC) program, for families exiting Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), has an application rate of 20 percent. This study sought to determine both the causes of the low rate and possible solutions. The situation was evaluated by means of surveys, interviews, analysis of data collected by the…

This study compared math and reading achievement in the fifth grades of two suburban elementary schools, one which utilized a traditional approach of pull-out special education classrooms and the other which utilized an inclusion program for special education services. The Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) was used to measure the math…

This report describes the All Day Kindergarten (ADK) Program undertaken at 18 elementary schools in Columbus, Ohio, and presents an evaluation of the language development component of the program. ADK provides an extra half day of instruction, using a language-based curriculum to reinforce the skills, concepts, and educational experiences taught…