The idea that formative assessments embedded in a curriculum could help guide teachers toward better instructional practices that lead to greater student learning has taken center stage in science assessment research. In order to embed formative assessments in a curriculum, curriculum developers and assessment specialists should collaborate to…

Based on survey data and interview data collected over four academic years, this longitudinal study examined how a ubiquitous computing project evolved along with the changes in teachers, students, the human infrastructure, and technology infrastructure in the school. This study also investigated what conditions were necessary for successful…

The National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD) was assigned the task of compiling, analyzing, and summarizing the data for Indicator 1--Graduation--from the FFY 2009 Annual Performance Reports (APRs) and amended State Performance Plans (SPPs), which were submitted by states to the Office of Special Education…

Communities of practice (COPs) are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better through interacting with one another (Wenger 1998). Communities of practice have enormous potential to support and sustain quality care and education within a community and, in fact, are doing so. Businesses and…

This article details one university's efforts to develop graduate courses and programs to better serve the needs of the increasing non-traditional student population in underserved rural areas. A detailed overview is presented, along with the strategic planning outcomes achieved. We hope this article will initiate dialogue among higher education…

These two reports summarize the Minnesota State Council on Vocational Technical Education's (SCVTE) activities for the 2-year periods ending on June 30, 1991, and June 30, 1993, respectively. Summarized in the report for the period ending June 30, 1991, are the SCTVE's activities with regard to the following projects: disabilities, funding…

This document summarizes program operations in adult education and literacy in 14 U.S. states and territories: Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the Virgin Islands. Special attention is paid to efforts in six…

This book was designed to help school, parent, and community leaders acquire the skills necessary for the successful restructuring of middle-level schools. Chapter 1 defines middle-level education and describes the forces that shaped and continue to shape middle-level education, the evolution of middle-level schools, and current middle-level…

The Indiana Vocational Technical College (IVTC) is a state-supported two-year college with 22 campuses across Indiana. In January 1992, as part of a college-wide effort to improve institutional effectiveness, an eight-member Retention Committee (RC) was established, consisting of executive and instructional deans; directors of student services;…

An evaluation and report was done on the status of programs in architecture and related fields in the Florida State University System as a follow-up to a 1983 evaluation. The evaluation involved self-studies prepared by each program and a series of site visits to each of seven campuses and two centers with programs under review. These institutions…

During a pilot project on the state role in facilitating adult learning, six states were asked (1) to establish and maintain a participatory planning mechanism for gathering information and building consensus among the public and private agencies and institutions within their states and (2) to use that mechanism in formulating policy…

Prepared as an outline of the long-range Michigan Library development program as required by the Library Services Construction Act (LSCA), this report presents goals, objectives, and procedures for strengthening and improving library services to Michigan Library's users over a 3-year period. The Library of Michigan's Long-Range Plan makes up the…

Project Interface was designed to bring together the two distinct fields of special education and vocational education in order to blend the efforts of the two fields to overcome several problems: differing vocabularies, methods, content, vocational evaluation, appropriate placement, teacher preparation, and the differing expectations of special…

As one in a series of working papers in the final report of the Arizona Board of Regents' (ABOR) Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and Competitiveness, this document presents data on an anlaysis undertaken to determine how Arizona's universities emphasize new or expanded programs. Areas of institutional focus are identified to help develop…

Comprehensive Arts Planning Program (CAPP) grants were awarded to 30 school districts in Minnesota to improve their arts education programs. Each district formed a community-based team of eight persons. Each team was then responsible for planning developing, and promoting comprehensive arts education within the district. Following a brief…