In spring 1992, Florida's Pensacola Junior College mailed the Two-Year College Form of the American College Testing (ACT) Student Opinion Survey to the 557 students who had earned an Asociate in Arts degree (AA), an Associate in Science degree, or certificate in fall 1991. The survey sought information on the graduates' reasons for selecting PJC,…

A study was conducted in Georgia to determine the needs of vocational-technical education teachers for staff development and how those needs are being met. A review of literature revealed that, although the responsibility for maintaining competence in one's teaching field has remained with the teacher, the process of inservice education and…

The breakdown in parent/adolescent relationships, along with the increase in disruptive behaviors by adolescents, has become a major concern of parents and practitioners. The goal of this practicum is to review the literature on parent/adolescent conflicts and offer a conflict resolution program intended to enhance the coping skills of parents.…

With the rapidly increasing number of second-language learners in elementary school classrooms and the difficulty they are experiencing in learning to read, educators need to create literacy programs that are appropriate for children who speak English as a second language (ESL) as well as native English-speaking (NES) students. There is also a…

Although anecdotal evidence supports the usefulness of peer helper programs and related training, there is little published quantitative data on the effectiveness of peer helper training. The purpose of the present study was (1) to examine whether or not training for a peer helper program provided student mediators with the essential skills needed…

A study examined the effectiveness of the Reading Recovery program in the Irving, Texas, Independent School District. Subjects were students discontinued from the Reading Recovery program because they scored at or above the 40th national percentile, selected students from Chapter/Title I programs on campuses that did not implement Reading…

Three federal initiatives--Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act--are working together to assist secondary schools in meeting current challenges. This pamphlet describes a two-volume book that presents a mix of research-based ideas and promising…

A study described and assessed a working experiential learning model used since 1976 as an adjunct to the basic speech communication course at the University College of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. In addition to class attendance, students in the basic course meet in a communication laboratory for one hour per week. The overall functioning of…

A practicum was designed for parents to acquire the understanding, skills, resources, materials, and wherewithal to support the emergent literacy development of their young (preschool) children. A "Home-School Library" was established for students to have developmentally appropriate books available for parents to read to their children at home…

Staff development is rapidly becoming more visible and more expensive. School boards and the voting public are becoming aware of the increasing costs and are demanding to know how effectively the money is being spent. It will become increasingly difficult, even job-threatening, for superintendents who guide ineffective staff development programs.…

This review examined the literature on peer tutoring in reading with students with disabilities, using the methodology of best evidence synthesis. This approach combines positive aspects of meta analysis with traditional integrative review procedures. It requires all studies reviewed to meet stringent a priori standards. Analysis of the 11 studies…

In response to congressional efforts to assess the potential impact that various welfare reform proposals might have on child care availability, continuity, and subsidy programs, this report examines the difficulties parents have trying to identify and secure child care while they work or attend school. The four child care programs created by the…

This paper describes fourth-year outcomes (1993-94) of the Boeing Company-funded Applied Academics Project. Since the 1990-91 school year, the company has provided funds to improve and expand applied academics in 60 Washington high schools. Data were collected from pre- and post-surveys of students enrolled in the project's Applied Mathematics…

Two studies examined seven teachers' acceptance of a strategies-based approach to reading instruction during their first year of using the intervention. Interviews and observations revealed that the intervention, a long-term transactional strategies instruction program called SAIL (Students Achieving Independent Learning), was fully acceptable to…

This paper uses data drawn from two projects funded by the Economic and Social Research Council of England and Wales. It covers the years 1990-94 and examines the effects of the Education Reform Act, which allowed state schools to "opt out" or leave the control of their Local Education Authority (LEA) and still receive funding. Such…