The six statewide research studies presented in this special issue use a variety of designs, instrumentation, and measures. Nevertheless, they can be integrated at the level of results to shed light on some important questions related to effective practice in the field of school counseling. In fact, one can argue that, when separate studies that…

Every year 1.3 million U.S. high school students drop out of school with one quarter of female students failing to graduate on time. Female dropouts are more likely to be unemployed, to earn less when they are employed, to become pregnant before the age of 20, to become obese, to smoke, and to drink more heavily than their male counterparts. This…

In recent years, there has been a revival of interest in financial incentives to encourage students to attend school and to improve their academic achievement, graduation rates, and other outcomes. Conditional cash transfer programs in developing countries, especially PROGRESA in Mexico, have found positive effects on attendance in large-scale…

The educational achievement and attainment of young people in the United States has been a long-standing issue of concern. While analyses of long-term trend data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that students in the United States have made gains in reading and mathematics over the past few decades, a sizeable…

Having worked for several years with three Wisconsin school districts, the author describes the metaplan that emerged for developing districtwide improvement plans. He presents a completed plan to clarify the process. The participating school districts welcome inquiries. (Author/TE)

Schools have traditionally been accountable for management of educational programs, while students were held responsible for academic achievement and personal success. Recent reform and restructuring efforts have increased the responsibility of schools for student outcomes. Wisconsin has shifted responsibility for student outcomes to the…

The Elementary Secondary Education Act Title I Wisconsin Migrant Education Conference was held on August 6, 1979 to evaluate programs and to gather program planning data. Data for this evaluation were collected by means of both structured interaction of the 53 conference participants and questionnaires completed by participants. The teachers felt…

Describing a student historical trip with an environmental perspective, this article evaluates program objectives (evaluation of lifestyles, living in close proximity to the natural environment, comparison of natural and man-made landscapes, development of a sense of community identity, decision making skills for environmental management, and…

A study was done to identify changes that have occurred since 1970 in the characteristics and needs of physical education teachers in Wisconsin elementary and secondary schools. Results of the study were taken from questions concerning: (1) personal educational history; (2) teaching responsibilities; (3) self-evaluations of teaching-coaching…

The purposes of the project were: (1) to determine if equality of educational opportunity exists for students in grades K-6 in the Rhinelander, Wisconsin, school district; and (2) to develop a model for elementary school program evaluation. Learner achievement of instructional objectives was accepted as the basic indicator of equality of…

The K-Adult research and development project in career education in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, contained two phases: (1) Eau Claire Joint School District Five, introducing the 16 Wisconsin career development concepts into school curricula through teacher workshops, resource materials, public relations, and consulting services for classroom teachers…

In August of 1978 an ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) Title I education conference was held to obtain an evaluation of the migrant education programs operated in Wisconsin during the summer of 1978. Five forms were used to collect information from the 47 conference participants with specific forms directed toward instructional staff,…

The activities of the Nucleus Testing Committee of the Madison County (Wisconsin) Schools in developing a new student testing program are discussed, and suggestions for the development of appropriate testing procedures are given. An individualized learning packet, developed by the author, using the psychological and educational modalities of…

This booklet will help educators review, develop, and improve fundamental components of K-12 social studies programs. It is designed as a planning and implementation guide for social studies in Wisconsin. First, ways are suggested in which educators can define the purpose of their social studies programs and decide how to balance skills and…

The final report describes "Project Decision", an exemplary program designed and implemented by the Waukesha County Technical Institute (WCTI) for the 17 high schools in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. "Career libraries" were established in each high school, with an audiovisual-tutorial device and 29 filmstrips providing…