Based on the premise that secondary school improvement is a result of change at both local high school and school district levels, this study surveyed both superintendents and principals of schools engaged in improvement activities in 35 large urban school districts. Superintendents were asked to identify areas of school improvement in which…

The purpose of this study was to examine the type and scope of supervised occupational experience programs (SOEPs) and the achievement of students mainstreamed in vocational agriculture in Ohio. Achievement was measured by the grade students received in vocational agriculture during the first semester of the 1983-84 school year. The sample for the…

A study of college students who dropped out of sport programs found that while many students ended their sport careers between their freshman and senior years, a large number of them became involved in sport after college. This paper examines the sociological factors that have an impact upon participation or non-participation in sport programs.…

Patterns of drug use among teenagers indicate they are highly influenced by peers. To examine the influence of Say It Straight, an alcohol/drug abuse prevention program aimed at teaching adolescents to deal with peer pressure, sixth, seventh and eighth graders (N=509) created and role played situations in which they wanted to say "no" to…

The proceedings from a 1983 conference on severely handicapped and autistic persons are presented. Eight papers focus on research findings and on issues such as alternatives to punishment, employment opportunities, and curriculum content. The following papers are presented: "Employment Outlook for Severely Handicapped and Autistic" (P. Wehman);…

The paper reports on a study of the rate of language learning of 12 children aged 2 to 10 with severe to profound bilateral hearing losses. Intended to help deaf children learn spoken language at the same rate as average hearing Ss, the intervention stressed three qualities of linguistic information: (1) clarity, (2) appropriateness, and (3)…

This paper identifies a number of factors that staff developers should consider in planning an effective program. A staff development program is considered to be effective if teachers adapt the material or content learned into their classrooms and retain the implementation over time, if teachers and administrators express satisfaction with the…

Experiences with assessment at the following six diverse institutions are described: Clayton State College (Georgia), James Madison University, Kean College of New Jersey, King's College (Pennsylvania), Rhode Island College, and State University of New York (SUNY) College at Plattsburgh. Rhode Island College generates a personal learning plan for…

Faced with the probability of a future shortage of teachers, the State of California has been exploring possibilities for increasing the number of qualified personnel for the schools. One of the options considered was providing alternative routes of entry into the teaching profession. The Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) evaluated one…

A brief description is given of a small school district in which the Mastery Learning approach to instruction has been operative since 1971. This study examined the teacher evaluation records written by the school principals in the District in order to determine the behaviors, attitudes and actions that these school administrators encourage in…

A music educator designed for elementary school students who were musically unskilled a curriculum that was based on the methods of Kodaly and Orff, the philosophy of Warrener, and traditional music education concepts. A heterogeneous group of 606 second- through sixth-grade students in 4 schools participated in implementation of the curriculum.…

The director of a proprietary child care center implemented a practicum designed to train child caregivers in child development and developmentally appropriate practices. The practicum consisted of three evening workshops and used supplementary reading materials, discussion groups, classroom observations, and individual conferences. After…

This paper, specifically addressed to teacher education in Texas, discusses teacher induction programs. A review is presented of some successful induction programs around the country and similarities and differences in some of the salient features of entry-level programs. The variety of roles institutions of higher education can play in such…

An intervention program employing test-skills instruction and cooperative learning methods was presented to second year minority medical students at a major state supported medical school. The purpose was to enhance minority students' passing rate for Part I of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) examination. After completion of the…

This report presents an evaluation of the third and final year of Project Speak, funded under Part B of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. Project Speak was initiated to stimulate the language development of preschool handicapped children through direct instruction and parent training. The program provided home-based language…