This guide, growing out of the annual evaluation by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) of English Language Arts curriculum documents (K-12), presents exemplary curriculum documents from the years 1986-1989. The guide presents documents which were commended by the NCTE reviewers and which demonstrate substantive, procedural, or…

"The Future of Schools" (1998), by Australia's former Minister of Education Don Hayward and Professor Brian J. Caldwell, recounts the development, implementation, and early effects of a far-reaching change effort. The authors'"lessons" are undercut by insufficient data connecting the reform with improved teaching and learning.…

This "snapshot" presents a review of a new family literacy handbook. Edited by Dr. Barbara Wasik of the FPG Child Development Institute, "The Handbook of Family Literacy" provides scholars, students, policymakers and practitioners (both inside and outside the field) with a valuable snapshot of its current boundaries and rapidly growing content.…

Discusses performing arts materials and programs in elementary and middle school curricula; notes developments of performing arts programs in certain states. Describes selected children's books with performing arts themes. (AEF)

Review states that two well-known evaluators have assembled a collection of essays on emerging issues in evaluation. These include global political perspectives, qualitative and quantitative research, the relationship between auditing and evaluation, performance assessment, international evaluation, and methodological issues. (SLD)

Two reviewers present divergent points of view concerning a book that provides a comprehensive overview of the field of wilderness therapy. The first reviewer sees the book as valuable in bridging the gap between the mental health profession and outdoor experiential education, whereas the second reviewer suggests that the book gives ambiguous…

This volume provides the background of the Kentucky Education Reform Act and discusses the assessment and evaluation principles on which it is based. It reviews early steps in implementation of the Act's mandates, but was written before most of the battles of implementation had begun. (SLD)

This handbook of family support and education programs profiles 73 programs that highlight an array of service arrangements under school sponsorship. The handbook asserts that no one factor makes or breaks a program and that all facets of program development contribute to the degree of success. (SLD)

Articles in this special issue deal with the assessment of the impact of research and are divided into segments concerning semiquantitative approaches; qualitative approaches; and quantitative and fiscal approaches. These articles illustrate the importance of the role of motivation and associated incentives. (SLD)

The Urban Institute organized a workshop to receive the reactions of experts to a model for helping underclass youth, the Mentor, Peer Group, and Incentive (MPI) Model. This model uses the three components of mentors, peer groups, and incentives to improve the life chances of adolescent males in socially distressed neighborhoods. Workshop…