Many states give individual schools the authority to make decisions in response to local conditions while still meeting state and district goals. Providing flexibility to local decision-makers is also a potential means for improving student achievement. This report provides a snapshot of several states' recent experiences with flexibility and…

A study assessed the effectiveness and efficiency of the curriculum development process in local vocational schools in Turkey. The study design included 14 vocational high schools and 12 companies that hired graduates of these schools in 4 relatively large and developed cities. Three data collection methods were used: interviews with principals,…

In 1995, the three colleges in California's Los Rios Community College District (LRCCD) surveyed 6,151 former students from 1993-94 to gather information on student outcomes and characteristics. This report presents Volume II of the survey results, providing four brief analyses of the responses presented in Volume I. The first report provides a…

This digest, based on a larger report of the same title, summarizes principles for improving quality in higher education institutions. Emphasis is on the effect of the principles when they are used holistically to create a culture of academic excellence. The quality principles are based on the conceptual framework of total quality management (TQM)…

The learning communities at New York's LaGuardia Community College consist of groups of students taking two or more classes together and providing each other with social and academic support, while professors integrate class content to broaden understanding. A study undertaken to compare the experience of students in the college's LC programs to…

This report presents results of Year 1 of a 2-year Vermont study of the extent to which the goals of State Act 230 (which requires schools to develop a comprehensive system of education services including an instructional support system for students with special needs) have been realized. The study includes an assessment of the degree to which 220…

There continues to be a public outcry concerning the quality of education in our nation. These concerns have translated into numerous programs to improve teaching in the public schools, many of which have focused on mentoring for beginning teachers. The proliferation of programs has shown the need for research investigating the effectiveness of…

A descriptive-correlational study was conducted to determine the extent to which students used the subject matter content taught in the "O" Level School Agriculture Program in Swaziland. The target population was 493 graduating "O" Level agriculture students in Swaziland. Data were collected in a school visit and through a…

This longitudinal study evaluated the effects of a preschool project designed to serve children between 3 and 5 years of age in a disadvantaged inner-city area in Dublin, Ireland. The preschool, established in 1969, emphasized the development of children's cognitive skills and established structures to increase parents' involvement in their…

The use of classroom observation is explored in several capacities. Specific observation instruments that were developed to evaluate the effectiveness of the National Follow Through Program were later used (sometimes in adapted forms) to study early childhood programs, secondary school programs, student teacher effectiveness; and use of time…

There is no national policy on assisting drug-using pregnant mothers nor on the children they produce. This paper looks at the issue of "crack-cocaine" and mothers who give birth to children after using drugs during pregnancy. It attempts to lay out what is known, and it puts forth "best guesses" regarding helping children born…

This report describes a prototype training program developed at Nova Southeastern University, Florida, to provide technology training to adjunct faculty, which comprises 60 percent of the university's faculty. The program relies mainly on self-paced instruction on the use of online information systems and Internet tools, and was structured so that…

Based on the belief that explicit teaching of social skills to young students will better prepare them for future academic and social endeavors, this action research project evaluated the impact of a program for increasing the incidence of appropriate social skills, specifically: sharing, encouraging, and accepting responsibility among young…

This paper describes three national studies on factors relating to successful special education interdistrict cooperatives. Interdistrict cooperatives are formal organizations between state departments of education and school districts to share costs and resources in implementing programs for participating school districts. The first study…

These two serial issues are devoted to the impact of computers on education, and specifically their effects on developmental education programs. First "The Effects of Computer-Based Instruction" summarizes the literature on the impact of computer-based instruction, including a study by James and Chen-Lin Kulik and Peter Cohen, which found that:…