Many students probably know something about space from playing computer games or watching movies and TV shows. Teachers can expose them to the real thing by launching their experiments into near space on a weather balloon. This article describes how to use high-altitude ballooning (HAB) as a culminating project to a chemistry unit on experimental…

In 2013, the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) in its inaugural "Exemplary Educational Leadership Preparation" (EELP) program competition recognized University of Illinois at Chicago's (UIC) Doctorate in Urban Education Leadership as one of two EELP programs in the United States. This article provides information…

Over the past 15 years, knowledge of the afterschool field has grown substantially. A large body of evidence exists that confirms quality afterschool programs help children become more engaged in school, reduce their likelihood of taking part in at-risk behaviors or acting out in school, and help raise their academic performance. A greater…

This article discusses the importance of mixed-methods research, in particular the value of qualitatively driven mixed-methods research for quantitatively driven domains like educational accountability. The article demonstrates the merits of qualitative thinking by describing a mixed-methods study that focuses on a middle school's system of…

This report provides a summary of major results of the Illinois Bridge Status Survey, administered online between April and June 2010. The purpose of the survey was to understand the extent to which bridge programs are being implemented in Illinois, as well as to build an online directory of bridge programs. Bridge programs are an emerging…

As the efficacy of educational administration programs has come under increased national scrutiny, one area which has received particular attention is the administrative internship component. In Illinois, various professional, governmental, and state-supported organizations such as the Commission on School Leader Preparation, Illinois Council of…

This document contains a matrix offering a side-by-side comparison of almost 40 criteria among 7 sets of early childhood program standards. The standards are: (1) Head Start Program Performance Standards; (2) Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Child Care Licensing Standards; (3) Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Center…

What are the common tasks facing cities committed to saturating their city with high quality out-of-school opportunities, available to every young person? While no list is definitive or complete, we identify ten critical tasks. (Background and Contact information is appended. Contains 5 footnotes and 9 figures.)

The results of a one-year project to determine the status of provisions for consumer education throughout the country are reported in this document. A section on the observations and recommendations of the advisory committee of the consumer's education project serves as the document's introduction. Part I, background and overview, analyzes the…

A comprehensive assessment of Right to Read programs in Illinois is provided in this final report. The chapter headed "Purposes of the Report" includes a description of the development of evaluation rationale and design, presentation of findings and products, and format for provision of conclusions, implications, and recommendations.…

Parental involvement is supplementary to the main line approach of the Special Needs Assessment Program (SNAP) whose main thrust is the diagnosis and remediation and/or partial alleviation of pupil needs by the child's teacher. This Parent Perception Project is an approach which provides for the involvement of parents in the process of identifying…

The Programmatic Approach to Guidance Excellence (PAGE 2) Project produced staff development materials for the career guidance components of program planning, curriculum-based guidance, and job placement. These materials make up the PAGE 2 Instructional Resource Package, intended to be used as a planning program for a comprehensive career guidance…

The Special Needs Assessment Program (SNAP) is designed to help teachers, parents, and children focus attention on individual pupils as human beings who need help in handling a variety of problems. The project's main intents are to help faculty in identifying critical needs and concerns of pupils and to encourage the building of instructional…