The evaluator was contracted to determine whether the online or face-to-face course components met course participants' needs and increased their understanding and knowledge of policy development processes, and to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of delivery strategies. In addition, the course evaluator was asked to look at the…

University-based community college leadership programs are meeting not only student needs but also the needs within their states. This report from the American Association of Community Colleges' (AACC's) Leading Forward initiative highlights strategies and practices of six new programs, formed since 2000, that are breaking tradition through their…

The purpose of this study was to compare the achievement of students in 14 Pascagoula schools and 9 Biloxi schools implementing School Renaissance (SR) to that of students in matched control schools. The achievement measures to be examined were from the 2004 administration of the Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT) for Reading, Language Arts, and…

This report reviews 75 high schools in the "High Schools that Work" (HSTW) network that made statistically significant gains in at least two of three areas reading, mathematics and science--between 2002 and 2004 on the "HSTW" Assessments. In these schools, all groups of students improved achievement--regardless of race, ethnicity or socioeconomic…

A study evaluated the Alabama Direct Assessment of Writing Program. The comprehensive evaluation examined the background literature, the psychometric characteristics, and the impact of the writing assessment both quantitatively and qualitatively. Results indicated that: (1) the majority of fifth- and seventh-grade students in Alabama do not…

Community building is an approach to urban poverty that rejects a programmatic approach in favor of efforts that catalyze personal relationships and social networks to improve community life. Community building analyzes urban poverty as a web of interwoven problems that can lock families out of opportunity permanently. Community building…

This report describes activities and accomplishments of a 3-year project at Sinte Gleska University (South Dakota) which revised the school's Human Services curriculum and training model and normed a variety of assessment instruments on Lakota people. Sinte Gleska University is a tribally chartered institution, located on an Indian reservation,…

The Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program at Rota High School in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which includes over half of the school's students, develops teamwork and helps students excel in academics. Students are instilled with discipline, motivation, pride, and a sense of integrity, trust, and belonging. The…

This study used the case study method and focus group interviews to examine: (1) which of the economic impacts of a small liberal arts college on its community are important; (2) whether economic impact can be estimated economic impact studies; and (3) whether such studies influence public opinion about the college's economic impact. Two focus…

This paper profiles a school-based attempt to provide comprehensive, integrated services to early childhood students with special needs via a collaborative, team approach. In addition to describing an integrated therapy team (ITT) application of the comprehensive, integrated services approach, the report: (1) describes how this ITT attempt…

A study investigated the effects of structure and interactivity on the achievement of students receiving Internet-based instruction. Structure was defined as the instructional strategy that provides the framework for the learning activity, giving the learner an advanced organizer. Interactivity was defined as the instructional strategy that…

This paper discusses three schools that have started a program designed to include at-risk students in gifted and talented programming by promoting systemic changes in student identification for gifted and talented classes and differentiated instruction in the regular classroom setting. The study conducted teaching observations and analyzed…

Inappropriate social skills exhibited early in elementary school can interfere with cooperative group work, completion of academic tasks on time, and academic growth. This action research project evaluated the impact of a program for improving social behavior in a cooperative group setting to reduce inappropriate interactions and increase positive…

This paper examines the impact on student learning of the Programa para Abatir el Rezago Educativo (PARE), which aimed to improve the quality and efficiency of primary education in four Mexican states by increasing school resources. PARE was implemented in the states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, Chiapas, and Hidalgo, which have the highest incidence of…

This document describes the perceptions of participants in the New Brunswick Beginning Teachers' Induction Program (BTIP) for the 1998-99 school year. For the fourth consecutive year, the New Brunswick Department of Education has organized the BTIP in all 12 anglophone districts. The BTIP includes mentor training workshops, district level…