Open educational resources (OERs) are an alternative textbook to publisher materials used by colleges and universities. OER materials have a cost advantage for students; many are published as free or cost-reduced textbooks for students. The authors developed and piloted an OER textbook for Business Law I in the Management program of the School of…

The Common Core State Standards have been adopted by 46 states and the District of Columbia. They enjoy a huge following of well-wishers and supporters who are optimistic that the standards will boost achievement in U.S. schools. Setting aside the cheerleading and fond hopes, what are the real chances of success? The most reasonable prediction is…

Finland has, as of late, become an inspiration for American school reform. There is no denying that we have much to learn from the Finnish system and it rightly deserves its global accolades. However, over the course of the following pages, I would like to suggest that it is also lucrative to look north of the 49th parallel and consider the…

Teacher effectiveness, equitable distribution, and teacher preparation are inextricably linked. Recognizing that evidence-based practices account for at least part of the effects of teachers on achievement and the critical role of teacher preparation, the TQ Center (National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality) offers innovation…

Exploiting a statewide cutoff point on the placement examination used to assign students to remedial courses in Tennessee, this study employs a regression discontinuity research design to provide causal estimates of the effects on student outcomes of recently redesigned remedial courses at three Tennessee colleges. Moreover, using data on student…

In order to assess how completely a Small Learning Community (SLC) and/or Career Academy is implemented in any given site, and to connect the degree of implementation with the amount of improvement in student performance, two kinds of information are needed. The first is information on the quality of implementation, which can be collected by…

The Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) program is part of the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) that was authorized under Title VI, Part B of the "Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965" ("ESEA"), as amended by the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" ("NCLB"). The RLIS program provides additional funds…

"The Educational Imagination: On the Design and Evaluation of School Programs" by Elliot W. Eisner is reviewed. (JD)

An evaluation of the laboratory science program developed in the Clover, South Carolina, Middle School produced the following results: (1) Although the general attitude toward science, according to the attitude scale, appeared to be declining in both groups, the experimental groups showed a more positive attitude toward science than did the…

Outlines the services provided to schools by The Wisconsin School Evaluation Consortium. It exists to provide evaluation of the effectiveness of educational programs to its members. Includes references. (MD)

Standardized test scores can not give a complete picture of the effectiveness of reading programs--and they are no help in telling what to do about poor results. But here's a book that describes a comprehensive assessment system that analyzes both student performance and the elements of reading programs. Learn how to use schoolwide action research…

The Alliance of Quality Schools is a research-based, learner-verified, academic, and behavioral intervention model involving reading, spelling, writing, and mathematics. The alliance provides coordination and support to students and fosters academic success as well as social skills, self-esteem, and positive attitudes toward school. This report…

This book contains information about the implementation processes of curricular reform in each Australian state and territory and views about these, obtained from several sources as part of a study commissioned by the Commonwealth Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DEETYA) in mid-1995. Each State and Territory…

Ho'okahua is a five-year NSF-funded project designed to increase the number of Maui Community College students entering, persisting in, and succeeding in college level Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses and degree programs, with particular focus on Hawaiian students. This research study measures several indicators of…