This paper examines the important role of English in Puerto Rico and the present situation of Puerto Rico's English language program. The writer gives a brief historical background of linguistics and discusses recent theories of language acquisition and transformation generative grammar. Possible applications and implications of these theories for…

A field experiment, attitude surveys, and a process evaluation were conducted in order to evaluate the third year of Carrascolendas, a kindergarten--second grade bilingual series carried nationwide on the Public Broadcasting Service. Test scores showed that material presented in Spanish had a significant impact on learning in history and culture.…

To reemphasize the dangers inherent in the misuse of testing instruments, a study of language and cognitive development in poverty preschoolers investigated 1) whether the interpretation of Peabody scores could be applied to this population, and 2) the contribution of the linguistic form of the Peabody to performance. (MS)

This report, part of the Florida Department of Education Educational Needs Assessment Study, identifies eight critical learner needs and the target population most associated with each need. A first section is a selected statistical abstract that describes the Florida population, with a wide variety of information gathered from public and private…

"Discovering Successful Pathways in Children's Development" provides a new perspective on the study of childhood and family life. Successful development is enhanced when communities provide meaningful life pathways that children can seek out and engage. Successful pathways include both a culturally valued direction for development and competence…

As part of its mandate to help the European Commission (EC) define, provide, monitor, and evaluate support to vocational education and training (VET) in regions outside the European Union (EU), the European Training Foundation (ETF) provided assistance to the following areas in 2002: Central and Eastern Europe; the New Independent States and…

Recognizing the value and need for quality early childhood education programs for children ages four through eight years, the Michigan State Board of Education appointed an ad hoc committee to develop standards of quality. Based on the draft developed by this committee, this standards guide is designed to assist administrators, teachers, and…

Student-level data were collected in 5 states California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, and Oregon and analyzed to build understanding and improve the role of community colleges in adult education and literacy. The states illustrate the degree of diversity in governance systems and local provider systems and allow for comparative analyses by provider…

This document contains the 2003 issues of a quarterly newsletter encouraging collaborative research and informed policy on welfare reform and focusing on use of an on-line database of child welfare research projects, as well as on research and policy issues related to implementation studies, indicators of well-being, and administrative data. Each…

The Early Childhood Initiative (ECI), supported by the Fund for New York City Public Education, operates in four New York City schools, reinventing the early childhood classroom by combining special education and general education team teaching and a heterogeneous mix of students with developmentally appropriate instruction, authentic assessment,…

Factors contributing to program success or failure were evaluated at 16 English colleges. Questionnaires were distributed to 231 teachers with 59 of those questioned further during an interview. Respondents emphasized the importance of good teaching, committed and knowledgeable teachers, and effective and appropriate processes for recruitment,…

The Texas legislature and the State Board of Education, recognizing the need for an alternative to student retention, established the Retention Reduction Pilot Program to provide additional days of instruction for students in first grade who would otherwise have been retained. The Optional Extended Year Program (OEYP) was initiated to expand…

This collection of essays examines efforts by groups and lobbyists to move education from the public to the private sector. There are 14 papers in 7 sections: The first section, "Introduction," includes: (1) "Studying Privatization in Education" (Henry M. Levin) and (2) "Educational Vouchers and the Media" (Lee D.…

A new breed of nontraditional institution has arisen to meet the demands of working adults who want to participate in lifelong learning but lack the time for full- or part-time study at a traditional institution. These new institutions range from completely virtual universities, online arms of existing institutions, learning marketplaces, or…

Curriculum 2000 was developed to give learners in England an opportunity to engage in a post-16 education experience providing both depth and flexibility. In its second year of existence, Curriculum 2000 was evaluated in a study involving more than 50 schools, sixth form colleges, and general further education colleges across England.…