On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The law had a very simple mission: kick-start an economic recovery through strategic investment. Deep within the law were a number of key education initiatives, including Race to the Top (RTT), which was a way to invest in the nation's education system…

The report of the External Program Review Team on Teacher Education to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education featured 23 recommendations for Oklahoma to become a leader in teacher education. The recommendations were grouped into five categories of concerns: program rigor, faculty resources, technology, interrelationships/leadership, and…

The Faculty Grants for the Improvement of Undergraduate Instruction, Excellence in Teaching Awards, and Distinguished Teaching Professorships programs were implemented in 1972 by the State University of New York (SUNY) in an effort to recognize and reward teaching excellence. An evaluation of these programs was conducted as part of a national…

This report presents an assessment of the U.S. Department of Education's Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) and the new Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (FDLP) by the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance (ACSFA), along with recommendations to help improve FFELP and FDLP. It found that congressional priorities and the…

This report summarizes and evaluates seven seminars conducted for the Vocational Education Project in China during 1992. For each of the seven seminars, a report prepared by the specialists conducting the seminar is provided. These reports summarize the content of the seminar, note any problems encountered in conducting them, and suggest ways in…

An study explored the extent to which integration of a philosophy of health in the educational curricula of nurses, midwives, and health visitors in Britain had been achieved. Four case studies and consultancy were undertaken, and both pre- and postregistration curricula were examined. Semistructured interviews, discussions, classroom…

The purpose of this project was to enhance a psychology degree program's assessment by the addition of a qualitative measure. Focus groups--simultaneous interviews of small groups of individuals--were conducted over a two year period. The 41 participants were all senior psychology majors enrolled at a mid-size public, liberal arts institution.…

This paper introduces an alternative to the conventional "method-oriented" approach to evaluation of interventions with people having profound/multiple intellectual disabilities (PMPID). The proposed approach uses the principles of theory-driven evaluation, based on a program theory which specifies what must be done to achieve the desired goals,…

For nearly 20 years, the California Postsecondary Education Commission has been actively involved in the development of a strong and vigorous private postsecondary and vocational education presence in California. The private postsecondary sector serves some 412,000 students seeking an education beyond high school. Following a period in the early…

Today, 163 federal programs scattered across 15 federal agencies provide employment training assistance. Although they frequently target the same clients, share the same goals, compete for funds, and provide similar services, agencies maintain separate administrative structures that devote staff and other resources to administer, monitor, and…

The California Library Association has established a mentoring program to assist new or reentering librarians in establishing themselves in the profession. At the end of 3 years, the Mentor/Protege program had over 50 participating pairs of experienced and novice librarians. The program is described, and suggestions are given for implementing a…

One of the major reasons many children do not receive efficient, effective health care is that much of public spending for child health services has been funneled through categorical funding programs. The Child Health Initiative provided an opportunity to learn how different communities would approach improving child health services through…

The Royal Commission of Inquiry's report on the Newfoundland (Canada) education system proposes a number of major changes. Among these are publicly elected school boards funded on the basis of need, teachers employed on professional merit, church involvement at the provincial and school levels, and appropriate religious education programs for all…

This hearing examined issues concerning Project Head Start quality and expansion. Testimony was offered by: (1) Senator Edward Kennedy, who discussed the importance of strengthening Head Start; (2) Mary Jo Bane, Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, who presented highlights…

For nearly 30 years the federal government has funded education programs to help disadvantaged children succeed in school. This book examines and evaluates three existing programs (Project Head Start, Project Follow Through, and the so-called Chapter 1 programs of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act) and describes the newly-created…