Congress began funding the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) program in 1998 to stimulate whole school reform in low-achieving schools. Schools receiving CSRD funding are required to evaluate the reforms implemented and the student results achieved. In response to interest among educators and researchers, a national research…

A third wave of school reform, originating in the United States, has arrived in the Pacific region. The first wave, which occurred in the 1980s, resulted in increased teacher salaries, core-subject requirements, and an expanded academic calendar. The second wave led to improved teaching conditions, with greater emphasis on professional development…

In February 2007, First 5 LA contracted with Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR) and its subcontractors, Juarez and Associates, American Institutes for Research (AIR), and Berkeley Evaluation and Assessment Research (BEAR) Center, to conduct the First 5 LA/LAUP Universal Preschool Child Outcomes Study (UPCOS). The authors conducted the study…

A project was conducted to (1) determine how to install comprehensive career education programs on a districtwide basis when development and field testing have been completed, and (2) determine how to transport effective career education programs from school districts that have them to school districts that need them. Project objectives were met…

This document addresses the first objective of a study to develop criteria to measure the effectiveness of vocational education demonstration projects. An introduction provides background to the project and the issue addressed here, namely the issue of interim and final acceptable evidence of project impact, including the criteria, documentation,…

Part of a special issue on organizational research utilization, this article analyzes two National Institute of Education programs--the Research and Development Utilization Program and the Experimental Schools Program--and finds that a key reason for nonutilization of research is the "policy vacuum" in which research is conducted.…

This document presents case studies of eight demonstration projects selected to assess the practicality and feasibility of a monograph for improving and measuring the impact of vocational education demonstration projects. An introduction provides background of the project that developed that monograph and information on the case studies, including…

This report draws on the first two years' experience, findings, and research of the seven strands of the Raising Quality and Achievement (RQA) Program to draw general conclusions about issues being addressed, progress made, and challenges remaining for colleges in the United Kingdom. It defines quality and achievement, describes the national…

This report documents the objectives, methodology, and products of a study to develop criteria and standards for measuring the impact of vocational education demonstration projects. Section I provides background and describes the study's purpose and products. Section II summarizes the methodology used to conduct activities. Details of the…

This volume is one of the products of the "knowledge development" effort implemented under the mandate of the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act of 1977. It describes the Career Advancement Voucher Demonstration, which tests whether Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA)-eligible youth can be effectively served by…

The advent of the Information Age brings the means and tools to improve education through the use of technology. In order to assist educators in kindergarten through grade 12 and in higher education with the development of technological programs, the federal government has made the implementation of technology a primary initiative. There will be a…

This document contains a literature review conducted as part of a study to develop criteria to measure the extent of implementation and the effectiveness of demonstration projects in vocational education. The literature review serves two purposes: it establishes the state of the art in measuring the effectiveness of educational innovations and it…

This document presents the plan for the conduct of eight case studies of federally and state-administered demonstration projects to assess the usefulness and practicality of a monograph discussing the improvement and measurement of the impact of vocational education demonstration projects. An introduction discusses the background and purpose of…

Implementation of nationally developed applied academics curriculum packages at 16 pilot sites in Indiana was evaluated. Settings were urban and rural and included comprehensive high schools and vocational centers. Data were compiled from 8 applied mathematics and 9 applied communication teachers and from 559 students. The primary goal was to…

A study identified 16 programs that represented the range of innovative school-to-work approaches found in the United States and drew on their experiences to learn about the challenges they had confronted. Data were collected during two visits to each program in 1992 and 1993. Findings underscored the diversity of the school-to-work movement and…