Each year, Austin Independent School District Department of Research and Evaluation (DRE) staff develop a plan of work to describe the scope of work for the coming year. The plans that make up this document identify programs to be evaluated and services to be provided by DRE staff and provide the blueprints for evaluation that staff will follow…

The Academy for Educational Development (AED) sent a research team to New York University (NYU) on December 8-9, 2008 to conduct interviews with individuals who play important roles in the university's teacher preparation program. These interviews, along with additional documentation provided by NYU and identified by the AED research team, provide…

In 1988, the Chicago public school system decentralized, granting parents and communities significant resources and authority to reform their schools in dramatic ways. To track the effects of this bold experiment, the authors of "Organizing Schools for Improvement" collected a wealth of data on elementary schools in Chicago. Over a…

The Academy for Educational Development (AED) sent a research team to the University of Dayton (UD) on November 5-7, 2008, to conduct interviews with individuals who played significant roles in the university's teacher preparation program (see Appendix A). These interviews, along with additional materials provided by UD and identified by the AED…

The Exploratorium is home to XTech, a science education program which began in 2006 and was primarily funded by a three-year National Science Foundation grant (Award # 05-25217) through its ITEST (Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers) initiative. XTech provided project-based afterschool activities in science, engineering,…

This article describes an early childhood professional development project that took place in the summer of 2005 in Guatemala City. Located in Central America, Guatemala has a population of approximately 12.3 million people, including more than two million children under the age of 5 (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2007; UNICEF, 2004). Events…

Describes a Dade County (Florida) Schools pilot program to decentralize the district's schools and adopt teaching professionalization as a primary goal. Using various committees and task forces, the district formulated goals, developed a shared decision-making model, addressed management/labor issues, and provided team training opportunities. (MLH)

Describes Network in the Schools (NIS), a project to enhance teens' academic achievement and self-esteem, which uses small group classroom discussions regarding self-affirmation, social concerns, self-improvement, and reflection, and meetings for group sharing and self-expression. Presents findings that the program results in enhanced parent…

Describes Project P.S. 137, implemented in a New York City public school. Affiliated with the University of Oregon's Direct Instruction Model, the project involved kindergarten, first-, second-, and third-grade classes. Students in the program consistently surpassed mean performance levels of comparable disadvantaged inner-city students on…

This monograph contains the instruments designed or modified by the research staff of the Urban Systemic Initiative (USI) during the course of the evaluation research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Because the project was designed to determine the impact of USI reform in four cities and to test the NSF Six-Driver model for…

Describes the Bronx Corridor of Success Initiative, a collaborative program linking schools, colleges, health institutions, and social agencies that promotes systemic educational reform in low-income communities. Discusses the strategies and outcomes from the first four years of the initiative, established in 1992, and lessons learned. (EMH)

Describes the Agriculture-Science Project, a program designed for inner-city African-American males to improve science grades, increase awareness of good health/safety practices, and increase awareness of science/health careers. Notes summer program results revealing significant differences in educational climate between summer and regular school,…

Tests the effectiveness of the New Youth Entrepreneur curriculum on lower socioeconomic black high-school students' knowledge of basic and advanced concepts in entrepreneurship. Results confirm that appropriate curricular innovation can significantly influence the acquisition of entrepreneurship concepts and skills by this group as well as…

The Academy for Educational Development (AED) sent a research team to Jackson State University (JSU) on October 13-14, 2008 to conduct interviews with individuals who play important roles in the university's teacher preparation program (see Appendix A). These interviews, along with additional documentation provided by JSU and identified by the AED…

The Metropolitan Area Schools Project offers a model of collaboration built up from the expressed needs of the constituencies it is designed to serve. The project focuses on the improvement of inner-city math and science education. The Project developers' role of broker is described. (Author/MLW)