Professional development is vital to the success of afterschool programs. Effective professional development enhances afterschool program quality by facilitating staff performance and knowledge; in addition, professional development is vital for improving student learning outcomes (Bouffard & Little, 2004; Hall & Surr, 2005; Joyce &…

This paper is about a design-based research project which evaluated the novel use of Lesson Study for assessment (LSfA) purposes. It starts by explaining the principles and design of LSfA procedures based on a Lesson Study model and dynamic assessment principles. It outlines the training and support provided to six Lesson Study teams in three…

Tests measuring academic language are traditionally associated with visible, high-stakes decisions of whether or not English language learners are admitted to post-secondary institutions. However, a new form of assessment in higher education is now gaining prominence. Post-entry (or post-enrolment) language assessments (PELA) determine the…

Australia is in the process of implementing a national geography curriculum to replace the separate state and territory curriculums. The paper describes the process of curriculum development, and identifies the different groups that were involved. These included the board and staff of the national curriculum authority, geography teachers across…

University-based researchers are finding they need a new set of skills to collaborate meaningfully with non-academic research partners, and to compete for funding opportunities that require community and end-user partnerships. This article describes a needs assessment conducted to develop a participatory research faculty development workshop at…

This article describes Oakwood City School District's College Connection Study, which is now in its eighth year. The purpose of the study is to help the educators in the district learn how to effectively prepare students for success in the colleges of their choice. Teachers, administrators, and other staff members travel to colleges to conduct…

Key to the dissemination of evidence-based addiction treatments is the exchange of experiences and mutual support among treatment practitioners, as well as the availability of accurate addiction training materials and effective trainers. To address the shortage of such resources, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) created…

"The Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century," published by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), discusses the importance of current and future engineering graduates possessing skills needed to solve business challenges. To ensure that future engineering graduates are adequately prepared, several universities and…

The Bottoms Up/Tops Down approach to evaluating employee performance encourages employees to seek appraisal and, at the same time, expects managers and supervisors to conduct a performance appraisal interview with each employee. The processes involved in this approach to performance appraisal and its value in determining training needs are…

A report on two existing undergraduate toxicology college programs and the future needs for such programs. (BB)

From 1960 onwards the U.S. Government set out to improve the schools in American Samoa. Discusses a series of studies of the islanders' educational needs focusing on ten critical unmet needs. (Editor/RK)

Although administrators have applied the term "needs assessment" to many things, including desires and solutions, the term is becoming progressively more precisely defined. Assessing needs simply means identifying where we are now and where we want to be by a specific time. A new imperative for needs assessment arises from public demand that…

Illustrates elements of strategic planning through a case study of the development of an agricultural program at Delta College, Michigan. Reviews efforts to assess community needs and match them with college resources, set priorities on the most needed programs, and produce a framework for judging time and resource commitments. (AYC)

The project was conducted to find out if there was a need for an adult education program to provide instruction in job-related competencies in the basic skills of reading, writing, math, spelling, and communications for the unemployed and underemployed of Mohave County, Arizona. The report presents the procedures used to identify the persons…

How to use math in handling money is the most important life-coping skill/competency adult basic education students in Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and Alaska want and need, according to a survey conducted by the Adult Consumer Education Project, part of the Adult Education Program at the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. (SH)