In the United States with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)'s emphasis on learning science while doing science, laboratory activities in the secondary school chemistry continues to be an important component of a strong curriculum. Laboratory equipment and consumable materials create a unique expense which chemistry teachers and schools…

Educators seek to develop students' mathematical knowledge retention to increase student efficacy in follow-on classwork, improvement of test scores, attainment of standards, and preparation for careers. Interactive visuals, feedback during problem solving, and incorporation of higher-order thinking skills are known to increase retention, but a…

In 1994, Laird conducted a study using secondary agricultural education teachers across the United States to determine the depth agricultural mechanics skills were being taught at the time, and how important those skills would be in 2004. The researchers conducted a follow up study in 2016, using secondary agricultural education teachers in Iowa…

This article describes the development, implementation, and exploratory evaluation of a professional development series that addressed educators' knowledge and use of the terms "research-based" and "evidence-based" within Human Sciences Extension and Outreach at one university. Respondents to a follow-up survey were more likely…

Dwindling public funding as well as greater competition for grant dollars create a challenge for Extension. For Extension to remain a financially viable organization, educators have to be able to produce substantive, measurable program outcomes and impacts. Evaluative data can inform program development and delivery, and helps administrators…

BRIEF LITERATURE SURVEYS COVER JOURNAL ARTICLES AND DISSERTATIONS IN FIVE FIELDS--(1) PROBLEMS OF STUDENT TEACHERS, (2) FOLLOWUP STUDIES OF 1ST-YEAR TEACHERS, (3) VALUE OF STUDENT TEACHING AS SEEN BY STUDENT TEACHERS, TEACHERS, AND ADMINISTRATORS, (4) CHANGES DURING STUDENT TEACHING AS MEASURED BY PRETESTS AND POST-TESTS, AND (5) NEEDED RESEARCH…

A study to obtain follow-up information on graduates from small Iowa school districts was conducted in 1988 to identify rural youth's "educational pathways" during the first 5 years after high school graduation. The sample of high school graduates was randomly drawn from 11 of 98 rural Iowa school districts with an enrollment fewer than…

The study examined the academic growth of students (N=326) identified as learning disabled since 1981 in a 9-county area of Iowa. All students in the study had been given at least one academic achievement test twice and the second testing was at least 90 days but not more than 1095 days after the first testing. The basic measure of growth was the…

In response to the growing demand for parenting educators, and the need to ensure that educators have basic knowledge and skills relevant to designing, implementing, and evaluating parenting education, "Partnering with Parents," an outreach academy was developed. Analysis of data gathered via a follow-up survey, online discussion board,…

Ranking 49th in total employment growth between 1978 and 1986, Iowa actually lost 0.48% of its workforce each year. Income fell 2.2% annually between 1978-86 (10% per annum in the farm industry) and unemployment rates doubled since the mid-1970s. This 1988 study describes the school-to-work transition of a sample of high school graduates, class of…

In response to data from the initial survey published in October 2001, interventions were developed to increase vision screening knowledge and promote use of the "Iowa Vision Screening Program Guidelines" (Iowa Department of Education [IDE], 1997). The purpose of this evaluation was to measure differences in practice after interventions,…

This study was designed to supply data on career patterns of teacher education graduates of three Iowa Regent's Universities. The research was aimed at answering the following questions: (1) What full-time occupations have been pursued by the graduates of one, five, and ten years ago? (2) What factors influenced acceptance of employment in…

A study was conducted by the Iowa State Department of Education to gather follow-up data on former students who completed employment-preparation programs at one of the 15 community colleges in Iowa during 1984-85. Study findings, based on college data and responses from 1,091 of a sample of 3,676 program completers and 444 of 583 employers of…

This report offers a brief narrative and extensive data tables on an Iowa survey of employers of students who had completed or left preparatory vocational education programs during 1977-78 and became employed in the occupations for which trained or a related occupation. The narrative first discusses procedures, then describes some results shown in…

This document presents a comprehensive statistical picture of public postsecondary two-year institutions in Iowa. The bulk of the document consists of extensive tables of data obtained from records of the Area Schools Division, Iowa State Department of Public Instruction, but brief narratives and charts are included as well. Many of the 16 area…