Great Britain's changeover to comprehensive schools has been called one of its most significant developments in secondary education. A description and comparison of four studies which evaluated secondary students' academic performance under this comprehensive system shows that there is an overriding need for more and better information concerning…

Reported four new studies as continuations in a program designed to increase personal happiness using 14 characteristics incorporated into a course of study for community college students. Collected findings indicated that the program is effective as a tool for short-term happiness enhancement with evidence suggesting long-term gains. (LLL)

The Department of Education has undertaken an ambitious effort to develop statewide occupational skill standards. The standards in this document are for Collision Repair Technology programs, and are designed to clearly state what the Collision Repair Technology student should know and be able to do upon completion of an advanced high school…

Beginning with the 2003-2004 school year, school districts are required to assure the State Board of Education (SBE) that each school in their district has in place a school improvement plan/process (SIP) that includes a continuous improvement process. This assurance is noted on the Minimum Basic Education Requirement Compliance Report, that…

This issue of "The Link" newsletter contains the following articles: (1) "Youth in Foster Care Who Commit Delinquent Acts: Study Findings and Recommendations" (Leslee Morris); (2) "Director's Message" (Christy Sharp); (3) "Juvenile Justice News and Resources"; (4) "The Nurse-Family Partnership:…

This issue of CPRE Policy Briefs looks at findings from the Consortium for Policy Research in Education's (CPRE) study of how central office and school staff in three urban districts made decisions about instructional improvement strategies, and how much weight they gave to evidence. The three districts, in three different states, had enrollments…

In 2002, the Policy Center on the First Year of College (supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Atlantic Philanthropies, and Lumina Foundation for Education) sponsored a project to recognize colleges and universities as "Institutions of Excellence" in their design and execution of the first year. Thirteen colleges and…

This brief describes how Maine's introduction of its ubiquitous 1-to-1 laptop program has been beneficial to learning, if one looks in the right places. There is growing positive evidence from teachers, parents, classroom assignments and tests, and even in one case, on a standardized test, all pointing toward a similar conclusion. Students are…

Behind a simple equation, 2 + 2, lies a rich yet realistic approach to enhancing teaching and learning. As this book demonstrates, the current method of job appraisal consists of sporadic classroom visits from school administrators that frequently serve to reinforce teacher isolation rather than promote professional development. In contrast, the 2…

The purpose of the current report is to synthesize 11 previous Center for Evaluation & Education Policy (CEEP) project reports in order to provide a comprehensive overview of Early Literacy Intervention Grant Program (ELIGP) implementation and effectiveness. Information presented in this report draws from CEEP involvement across eight years of…

The main finding from research conducted in 2005 into the critical issues in teaching, learning and assessment in vocational education and training (VET) was that "quality is the major issue." While the research identified many issues--such as the need for providers to be increasingly flexible and responsive in meeting the multiple…

This booklet examines the methodology known as Communicative Language Teaching or CLT and explores the assumptions it is based on, its origins and evolution since it was first proposed in the 1970s, and how it has influenced approaches to language teaching today. It serves to review what has been learned from CLT and what its relevance is today. A…

This study represents a continuation of research efforts to further refine the Attitudes and Beliefs on Classroom Control (ABCC) Inventory. The purposes of this study were to investigate the: (1) impact of classroom management training on classroom management style; (2) differences in attitudes toward classroom management between novice and…

This paper presents information regarding the five critical success factors for institutional effectiveness identified by the Connecticut Community-Technical Colleges. These factors are: (1) career education; (2) general study; (3) transfer; (4) community service; and (5) student support services. The Performance Measures Review Team also points…

The community of K-12 education has seen explosive growth over the last decade in distance learning programs, defined as learning experiences in which students and instructors are separated by space and/or time. While elementary and secondary students have learned through the use of electronic distance learning systems since the 1930s, the…