This paper reports the results of the final stage of a 30 month study of knowledge use in staff-initiated inservice workshops. In earlier stages of this study, knowledge acquisition, use, and impact correlated with multiple sets of participant, workshop, school, and community characteristics. Based on those results, a refined model was developed…

Based on a synthesis of research and on telephone interviews with representatives of 22 school districts, this study analyzes the effectiveness and problems of two types of motivational plans for teachers: merit pay plans in which at least part of a teacher's pay is linked to performance, and nonmonetary performance-by-objectives plans in which…

This paper presents the results of an Achievement Directed Leadership (ADL) field test conducted at eight elementary schools and a middle school in an urban school district in New Jersey during the 1981-82 school year. The stated purpose of the field test was only secondarily to assess student outcomes; its major objective was to help principals…

This study investigated the sustained effects of Project Head Start for disadvantaged, black children in kindergarten and first grade. Participation in Head Start was compared to other forms of preschool experience and no preschool experience for disadvantaged children in two American cities in 1969-1970. Both preprogram background and cognitive…

Collaborations between high schools and colleges have emerged during the 1980s as a means to increase enrollments and academic success of low-income minorities in higher education although their benefits have yet to be clearly demonstrated. This review surveys the literature on the effectiveness of these collaboratives. The report is comprised of…

Activities conducted during the calendar year 1985 by the Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families focused on (1) Alcohol Abuse and Its Implications for Families; (2) Families with Disabled Children: Issues for the 80s; (3) Tax Policy: What Do Families Need? (4) Prevention of Alcohol Abuse in American Families; (5) Emerging Trends in…

Efforts to evaluate the use of technology in education tend to be inconclusive because they lack specificity about what types of technology are being considered, what types of evaluation are being used, or both. While different evaluative studies focus on different valid objectives, the studies will provide generalizable information of practical…

The Catalyst Training Package was developed by project On The Other Hand, a 16-month project which used two rural Vermont high school districts to field test materials focused on educating youth to reach their full potential, and the roles of men and women in society. Three basic strategies were used to improve educational equity in rural high…

A project was undertaken to refine an existing self-assessment system and to develop self-paced learning modules for use in the continuing education of physician assistants (PA). Included among the major activities of the project were the following: (1) modification of the existing criterion-referenced Physician Assistant Self-Assessment…

The high degree of autonomy college faculty members exercise in organizing and teaching courses suggests that faculty perceptions of educational purposes, subject matter structure and importance, and expectations for student learning are major determinants of educational success. Despite diversity and local autonomy present in its system, American…

This paper provides a synthesis of research on aspects of student teaching as they relate to transfer of teaching skills to the classroom. The report highlights major dimensions of student teaching, such as specific training interventions (microteaching and simulation), the ecological context of student teaching (involving the cooperating teacher,…

The Archaeology and African Cultures program was a collaborative effort among the New York City Public Schools' Division of Curriculum and Instruction and four New York City museums. The program was designed to provide teachers of the gifted and talented with a rigourous series of seminars in the field of archaeology as well as on each museum's…

To support the integration of technology in the K-12 special and general education classroom, especially for students with disabilities, teachers must be experienced in the application of technology to curriculum. Professional development programs continue to provide opportunity, but often do not result in teacher proficiency in the integration of…

The study describes the use, popularity, and effectiveness of selected social studies curriculum project materials (CPMs). Five multistate surveys identified 11 CPMs which were judged to be widely used and therefore served as the basis for the study. These included materials from the High School Geography Project, Anthropology Curriculum Study…

As part of the National Institute of Education's Teaching and Instruction Program, the Research on Instruction Team has developed a program focusing on research on Instructionally Effective Schools. Such a school is defined as having a high mean level of student achievement and no educationally significant differences between different racial,…