Career development in Canada has been gaining prominence over the past decade. This digest outlines the principles on which career development must remain focused. First, the meaning of "career success" needs to be reconceptualized. With companies downsizing, people need to be able to view themselves as successful, despite changing…

This collection of seven major presentations at a 1997 conference on assessment and quality in higher education includes three plenary presentations and four introductions to program strands. In "Accountability and Assessment in a Second Decade: New Looks or Same Old Story?" Peter T. Ewell stresses the importance of defining the academic integrity…

This report describes Project CREEK (Community Resources Through Environmental Education for Kids), a collaborative 3-year project between the University of California at Davis, the University of Maryland, and a large, rural K-5 elementary school in central California, and a sister site near Baltimore. Specifically, this report examines changes in…

This project, referred to as the Aviation Careers Accessibility Program (ACAP) established a model program for inner-city minority high school students that would allow them information and accessibility to careers and opportunities in the aviation industry. The project featured two program components: an academic year component during and a 5- or…

Early childhood professionals and others concerned with the welfare of young children believe that voluntary quality guidelines can provide a model for program developers and current operators to use in assuring that program practices are age appropriate, that trained personnel are available, and that facilities are acceptable. These quality…

The Ninth Grade Restructuring Program of the Detroit (Michigan) public schools was designed to restructure the ninth grade in ways that improve academic performance, develop positive attitudes toward learning, improve the school environment, reduce the dropout rate, and increase the graduation rate of students. Features of the program were…

The Ninth Grade Restructuring Program of the Detroit (Michigan) public schools was designed to restructure the ninth grade in ways that improve academic performance, develop positive attitudes toward learning, improve the school environment, reduce the dropout rate, and increase the graduation rate of students. Features of the program were…

This paper contrasts two perspectives for evaluating educational programs: (1) a growth curve model of personal development in the sociocultural context; and (2) a narrowing staircase model of educational success. According to the first perspective, development occurs along personal, social, and cognitive dimensions, and arises from the…

This report summarizes the activities of the SIFT-OUT program, a federally funded project designed to prepare teams of university faculty, family members, practitioners, and agency representatives from six states, to serve as leaders in providing early intervention training in their states. A total of 166 state-level early intervention leaders…

This purpose of this guide is to provide qualitative criteria for assessing school library media programs and to furnish a resource for developing and/or improving school library media programs. The intent is to meet the needs of diverse school systems and give direction for implementing library media programs while offering a viable evaluation…

Based on the view that the quality of adult educative interactions with young children is critical in determining the effectiveness of educational provision and in improving early childhood settings, this paper examines the quality of adult engagement experienced by 3- and 4-year-olds in 9 types of early education and care settings from the…

The impact of educational reforms in Brazil has been assessed by the Brazilian Evaluation System of Basic Education (SAEB), a tool designed to measure the cognitive achievement of students. The SAEB comprises tests of Portuguese grammar and writing, mathematics, and science. Schools have used the SAEB mainly for comparisons among groups of…

This paper describes an institutional research office's use of extensive senior survey data to examine indirectly the effectiveness of a career services early intervention program over a period of four years. The study compared responses on the senior survey by participants (N=200) in the sophomore career exploration seminar with responses of…

In 1998, Trident Technical College conducted the 1997 Employer Follow-Up Survey to collect information from employers of 1997 graduates. A total of 373 employers of graduates were identified, of which 243 were contacted and interviewed. Findings indicate that employers rate graduates average or above average in most technical and personal skills.…

At-risk elementary school students and their families often have little support for social and academic growth from community members and from parents. This study examined the impact of an 8-month program to increase advocacy from community volunteers, use volunteer help, and provide weekly parent seminars on the quality of students' school…