The feasibility of using W. E. Deming's total quality management (TQM) method to define instructional quality was examined by surveying three groups of students attending Idaho State University's College of Education and School of Applied Technology: 31 students seeking cosmetology certification; 75 undergraduates pursuing degrees in corporate…

This paper briefly compares the uses of video as a medium of instruction in higher education in the United States and China and makes tentative explanations from a sociocultural perspective of the differences between these countries in using this medium. Video has been used similarly in a number of ways in both countries, but the ways it is used…

Whether common standards exist among the national standards for kindergarten through grade 12 mathematics, science, and civics and government was studied. Common standards were explored among "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics," produced by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the "National…

In Florida, the Full Services Schools model has emerged as an alternative to fragmented service delivery because service providers have assumed that children have needs beyond classroom education and that Florida's system of service delivery has failed to meet those needs. The purpose of this multiple-site comparative case study is to describe and…

In 1992, an evaluative study was conducted to describe systematically the characteristics of Northern Maine Technical College's (NMTC's) faculty and students with respect to specified teaching and learning variables. The study sought to determine and outline appropriate instructional improvement strategies for possible implementation at NMTC,…

The model presented by the preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy, is one of cooperation and collaborations among teachers, parents, and children; curriculum based on the "project approach," and constructivist learning philosophy, which states that children construct their knowledge and values as a result of interactions with and action on…

This report analyzes the following 10 curricula for training programs for family child care providers: (1) Child Care, a family day home care provider program developed by Texas A&M's Agricultural Extension Service; (2) the Family Day Care Education Series, a coordinated resource manual and independent study course, the Active Learning Series,…

Alexander Astin, a pioneer in assessment research, has argued persuasively for building national databases that would permit programs and institutions to share common data and thus compare themselves with peers (1987, 1991). Others have suggested that certain process and outcome data should be collected and shared by disciplinary associations and…

Critical thinking and creative thinking are explored. Critical thinking is the process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, or evaluating information. It includes affective strategies such as thinking independently and developing intellectual perseverance. Certain teaching behaviors can encourage critical…

This paper calls for the collaboration of general educators and special educators as cooperative teaching teams to better serve diverse student populations. Research in Anne Arundel County (Maryland) indicating significantly higher passage rates on statewide minimum competency tests, by students (n=343) in co-taught high school classes compared to…

Data are presented comparing children with learning disabilities to children with mild mental retardation, and comparing these two groups to normally achieving peers matched for chronological age (ages 6 to 8). Four studies were conducted, involving different types of oddity problems and rhyming skills. Results of the four studies indicated little…

Nine Canadian health libraries participated in a pilot test of the Benchmarking Tool Kit between January and April, 1998. Although the Tool Kit was designed specifically for health libraries, the content and approach are useful to other types of libraries as well. Used to its full potential, benchmarking can provide a common measuring stick to…

In Great Britain, interest in the measurement of value added was stimulated initially by the requirement that schools and further education (FE) colleges publish league tables of examination results. Value-added data can be aggregated to compare different institutions' performance. Within colleges, value-added data provide a basis for setting…

"The Feminist Dollar: The Wise Woman's Buying Guide", the book upon which this report is based, evaluates the gender fairness and equity policies of more than 400 companies, 50 states, and 35 countries to help consumers make informed decisions about which products to purchase and which states and countries to support with their travel…

This paper describes: the development and implementation of Schoolwide Projects (SWPs) in the School District of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania); evaluation models permitted by Chapter 1 regulation and policy; ways these models were used in Philadelphia and results that were obtained; and approaches that are sensitive to the effects of SWPs. The…