This paper reviews research on the design and effectiveness of preschools in the United States. Three randomized controlled trials that enrolled roughly 350 total children in demonstration studies during the 1960s and 1970s shape much of the current discussion of preschool. We examine what these studies and more recent ones based on random…

The Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) aims to increase the number of students with disabilities who achieve positive post-school outcomes and engage in higher education or competitive employment opportunities. Through their State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) and State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG), Alabama is focusing on…

Three years ago, the Toronto District School Board, the largest in Canada and the fourth-largest in North America, began to explore demonstration classrooms as a way to create a richer model of job-embedded, differentiated, and personalized professional learning. By doing action research and examining a variety of professional learning models from…

The orientation of this report is that of identifying educational projects which can be considered clearly exemplary. The largest section consists of a 22-step procedure for validating the effectiveness of educational projects using existing evaluation data. It is not intended as a guide for conducting evaluations but rather for interpreting data…

A California school district used the Hunter teaching model for a study to measure the effect of the model on teachers and students in two schools over a four-year period. Evaluation shows that student achievement and teacher behavior improved during the first three years then dropped during the fourth. (MD)

This paper describes a process used to create or revise a gifted education program and a model gifted education program for elementary schools that includes methods of identification and ideas for programming. The following steps are outlined for creating or revising a gifted education program: (1) read relevant textbooks to get a feel for gifted…

This Education Policy Brief provides readers with a broad overview of Response to Intervention (RTI). Response to Intervention refers to an integrated, schoolwide method of service delivery across general and special education that promotes successful school outcomes for all students. This brief first discusses the impetus behind RTI, which stems…

Funded in 1971 under Title III, Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the teacher exchange program to improve reading instruction was designed as a 3 year project. The thrust of the program ranged from creating awareness of and interest in good teaching practices to helping instructors implement these practices in their own classrooms.…

This symposium deals with recent issues in the development of the National Assessment model. General goals are outlined and the following topics are discussed: "Objectives and Exercises" (Jack C. Merwin); "Sampling" (A. Finkner); and "Data Analysis" (John Milholland). (CK) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt…

A professional development model implemented in rural Iowa schools involves participation of school teams in school improvement, technical assistance based on needs assessment, focus on teaching and learning strategies that promote meaningful connections, extended planning time, recognition that change requires long-term support, networking of…

The papers in this document were prepared by representatives of seven innovative teacher staff development projects in Northern Virginia. They describe networks of inservice and staff development activities which were originally designed and implemented in the schools. The following papers are included: (1) "TESA: Teacher Expectations and Student…

A Clovis, New Mexico, project designed to develop over five years a model English-Spanish bilingual program for limited English proficiency students from nursery school through grade 6 did not fully meet its objectives during the 1979-80 school year, the project's fifth and final year. One hundred forty students enrolled in grades 3-6 in two…

The Student Achievement Accountability Committee (SAAC) of the San Diego (California) City Schools was formed to make recommendations concerning accountability in relation to the district's objective of closing the student achievement gap. The SAAC was formed in 1990 with representation from school administrators, parents, and teachers. The SAAC…

Designed to develop over five years a model bilingual program for nursery school through grade 6, the demonstration program provided early bilingual education intervention to facilitate the simultaneous learning of two languages and thus develop the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills of children with limited English speaking ability from…

There is a growing population of young adults who are underserved by community colleges in the United States, students who are poorly prepared for college work and are at risk of poverty, social problems and failure to realize their full potential. Educational programs offered by community colleges represent this group's best hope of overcoming…