In recent years, different researchers and research agencies, teacher associations, national education organizations, and the U.S. Department of Education have published lists of the characteristics of "effective professional development." This study analyzed 13 of the better known of these lists to determine if they were derived through similar…

The orientation program of the Georgia Center for Continuing Education at The University of Georgia for nontraditional students has two primary goals. The first goal is to provide information that will help students make a successful transition to college; second, to provide opportunities for students to meet each other and campus personnel in an…

The Cedar Rapids Community School District used the CIPP (context, input, process, and product) evaluation model to improve its spelling program. During the CIPP model's final stage of product evaluation, the district used test data to decide whether the revised spelling program maintained spelling ability and provided for additional growth. The…

Since neither the provision of contraception, nor exhortations to preserve premarital chastity serve the adolescent's need to integrate their now-present biological capacity to procreate into their operational self concept, this study utilized experiential learning about fertility to facilitate the integration of biologic maturity with adolescent…

Substance abuse among school age youth continues to be a significant and costly problem in U.S. society. Schools are asked with increasing frequency to become involved in finding and implementing solutions. A review of the literature regarding school-based substance abuse prevention programs reveals their evolution from a basic informational…

Drawing upon information gathered in a survey of eight two-year colleges and one four-year college, this paper discusses the status of writing within the two-year college system. Following introductory remarks, the paper gives a brief profile of one two-year college, Casper College in Wyoming, including data about its background, curriculum,…

States' policies vary widely on paying friends and family rather than home care agencies to care for the elderly. This analysis explored two state programs which exemplify different payment options: Michigan, which pays clients' informal caregivers, and Illinois, which generally pays agencies to provide services. It asked how different payment…

Education and training of management personnel in developing nations have been patterned after the American system. Unfortunately, efforts at transplanting such knowledge has neglected the cultural nuances unique to the various nations, resulting in incomplete success. Intercultural communication barriers can be posed by such cultural features as…

Because of increased emphasis on accountability, program evaluations today must go beyond measures of change in program participants to consider the effects, either direct or indirect, of staff development on students and their learning. A model is presented illustrating the relationship between staff development for teachers and student learning…

Concern for coherence in European teacher education is fueled by changes in political organization and teacher mobility. "Coherence" is a value-laden concept, yet its meaning is unclear. In the United States, advocates of coherence assume that a tightly connected set of experiences is needed to give teacher education programs sufficient power.…

A study compared private and public training programs in the Baltimore (Maryland) metropolitan area. Survey instruments were sent to 105 individuals who had been identified as either directing or coordinating a job training program in the Baltimore area. Seventy-six usable survey instruments were returned (a 72 percent response rate). There was…

Critics of Early Field Experience (EFE) for preservice teachers have cited a need for shifting focus away from logistical questions (e.g., quantity of time spent in the field, legal questions, administrative schedules) and toward promoting a critically meaningful educational experience for preservice teachers. This paper describes an EFE at…

This paper presents a follow-up study of the academic performance of children who had previously participated in one of eight experimental infant or preschool education projects. The initial phase of the study compared grade retention, special class placement and school dropout rates of the experimental program children with those of children in…

The Pierce County Cooperative is a vocational and special education consortium of 12 school districts in the western part of Washington State. The Cooperative strives to improve the job entry capability and postsecondary educational opportunity for mildly handicapped learners within the participating districts by facilitating functional…

Noting that most graduate study in communication consists of specialization within the broader field, this paper argues that graduate level communication programs are not only justifiable but also are mandatory if students of communication are to advance much beyond the practitioner stage. The first section of the paper, "Graduate Communication…