The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, a federally funded nutrition education program in California, is undertaking to assess the needs of Latino clients and develop culturally appropriate tools to evaluate changes in food-related behaviors. Latino participants in Fresno County reported improvements in reducing fat intake, using fruits…

Describes the evaluation of a training program in the Netherlands to enhance the professional competence of residential child-care workers in dealing with difficult situations involving adolescents. Pretest and posttest data from 35 adult subjects and 20 controls indicate a significant increase in knowledge and behavior after the program. (SLD)

Describes seven "habits" for effective school library media specialists: (1) Be proactive; (2) Begin with the end in mind; (3) Put first things first; (4) Think win/win; (5) Seek first to understand, then to be understood; (6) Synergize (get students, teachers, administrators, community members to work cooperatively); and (7) Sharpen the saw (take…

Discusses the proliferation of federal education programs and the many problems inherent in federal education policy. Suggestions are given to reform the federal role in education through changes in the reauthorization of the Elementary Secondary Education Act. (SLD)

Describes a study examining the relationship between the location of a community college grants office in the college's institutional structure and the office's level of success. Suggests that grants offices should be coordinated with development efforts and that the grant-writing process should relate to the college planning process. (13…

Discusses the challenges in assessing Professional Development School (PDS) impacts, noting examples of assessments from the literature. The paper outlines a conceptual framework for assessment and explains how it may help organize more systematic thinking about PDS evaluation. Examples from a multisite case study demonstrate how one consortium of…

AVID--Advancement Via Individual Determination--is a California program that empowers students to take responsibility for their own learning and develop the academic and interpersonal skills allowing them to take rigorous college-prep courses. AVID's pedagogy is based on intensive writing, inquiry, and collaboration. (MLH)

Compared Professional Development School (PDS) and non-PDS graduates regarding retention in teaching, teaching effectiveness, and perceptions of professional preparation. Surveys of beginning teachers and principals found no differences in teacher retention. Principals rated PDS graduates higher in some aspects of teaching effectiveness. PDS…

Examined whether new mothers would gain knowledge of child development after participating in a home visitation program for six months, and whether there would be differences between adolescent mothers and older mothers. Results indicated an overall increase in total knowledge of child development for mothers (of all ages) participating in a home…

This study examines the effects of intervention during the elementary grades on changes in school bonding from middle school through high school, using hierarchical linear modeling. Findings suggest that social development interventions through elementary school can have positive long-term effects on school bonding and demonstrate the importance…

Discussion of J. Renzulli's Enrichment Triad and School Enrichment Models finds them supportive of broader inclusion of students from diverse backgrounds yet notes the continued under representation of such students in programs for the gifted. It suggests that addressing the models' implications for access, generalization, long-range impact, and…

This longitudinal study compares academic and social integration and intent to persist of two cohorts of freshmen (total n=132) at the American InterContinental University (England), of whom 70 successfully completed a one-term freshman orientation course and 62 did not take the course. Preliminary results suggest that the course promotes…

Responds to a conference held in March 1996 entitled "Ongoing Inquiry" and designed to present the research methods and results of a five-year study of aesthetic education at the Lincoln Center Institute (New York). Discusses the assessment methods used, the assumptions underlying the assessment project, and the value of aesthetic education…

Describes the course "Introduction to Culture" that is a part of the Ursuline Studies Program at Ursuline College. Explains that the course is derived from the ideas of urban philosopher, Lewis Mumford, and discusses his ideas in detail. Reviews the academic goals of the course and the examines the broader Ursuline Studies Program. (CMK)

This article discusses the significant personnel shortages in education and rehabilitation in the field of blindness and visual impairment and provides a brief overview of one approach to addressing this shortage, distance education. Distance learning environments and strategies are described, along with evidence of the effectiveness of distance…