Experts tell us that 4-year-olds have much to gain from a stimulating and nurturing preschool experience, and mounting evidence suggests that these benefits accrue to society on a much larger scale as well. Although numerous proposals acknowledge the benefits of and need for improved early childhood education, few contain specific recommendations…

This report describes the model used by the Oregon State System for Higher Education to assess the impact of higher education on the growth and change in students as a result of participation in higher education. The model prescribes assessments of general knowledge and abilities, learning environment, major field knowledge, degree completion,…

In 1994, the Nebraska Articulation Planning Team (NAPT) was created to investigate opportunities for establishing horizontal and vertical articulation, curriculum integration, and staff development in the state to provide students with seamless pathways in their movement along the educational continuum. During the 1994-95 academic year, NAPT…

This paper describes part of a study (Kraus 1996) involving 25 school administrators who attended one of five administrator preparation programs at four New England universities. The study addressed research questions regarding perceptions of administrators' job preparedness and how components of formal training programs (i.e., internships,…

The Servicemembers Opportunities Colleges (SOC) is a consortium of national education associations and more than 1,200 colleges and universities that have pledged to ease the difficulties faced by servicemembers seeking a postsecondary education. Consortium members subscribe to the following principles in offering voluntary higher education to…

Appropriately implemented vocational education programs can help achieve National Education Goal 2--increasing the high school graduation rate to at least 90 percent. A 3-year study of dropout prevention in 10 demonstration sites has resulted in an enhanced vocational education program model described in "Vocational Education for the 21st…

A fundamental change is taking place in the nature and application of technology in business, a change with profound and far-reaching implications for companies of every size and shape. A multimillion dollar research program conducted by the DMR Group, Inc., studied more than 4,500 organizations in North America, Europe, and the Far East to…

Adult education programs must increasingly serve non-native speakers of English, many of whom are neither literate in their native language nor in English. It is suggested that first language literacy promotes second language acquisition and that literacy skills in the native language are likely to transfer to the second language. This digest…

This paper draws on data from a longitudinal comparative study of languages policy in New Zealand and Victoria, Australia, to explore the nature of school programs in languages other than English. After describing some theoretical considerations that underlie the main study, the paper presents two hypotheses that might explain the situation of…

This information packet for those interested in promoting parent and family involvement in their children's schools opens with "A Quick Overview of Some Basic Resources." This section contains lists of 28 selected references, some research syntheses available from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), and 10 Internet resources…

Schools committed to the success of all children must have an array of activities designed to address barriers to learning. This introductory packet contains some aids to help school staff find new ways of thinking about how schools should assess barriers to learning. The following items are included in the packet: (1) a chart of "Barriers to…

Sequencing in adventure education involves putting activities in an order appropriate to the needs of the group. Contrary to the common assumption that each adventure sequence is unique, a review of literature concerning five sequencing models reveals a certain universality. These models present sequences that move through four phases: group…

This study evaluated the Spouses of International Students and Scholars (SISS) program at the University of Montana in Missoula, an orientation program designed to meet the adjustment and English-as-a-second-language needs of women from several countries. Twelve women from six different countries (China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Nepal, and Taiwan)…

A study focused primarily on building-level leadership by observing how principals in 12 high schools (11 public and 1 Catholic) engaged in planning a structural change from a traditional schedule with 45-minute periods to the 90-minute periods of a block schedule. Using a concerns-based model of change, principals' behaviors and teachers'…

This report describes the nature and extent of crime and violence on school property. It presents information on how schools and communities can work together to prevent and address school violence. The report is divided into 4 chapters. Chapter 1 presents the nature and scope of school violence, whereas chapter 2 describes steps that communities…