Contradictory findings from "well-implemented" rigorous evaluations invite researchers to identify the differences that might explain the contradictions, helping to generate testable hypotheses for new research. This panel will examine efforts to ensure that the large number of local evaluations being conducted as part of four…

Some 3,000 proposals submitted for Research Grants in Education and Small Grants, two of the major topic areas in the 1973 Field Initiated Studies (FIS) program of the National Institute of Education (NIE), are analyzed in this report to identify research features which seemed to receive priority emphasis and to describe some of the methodological…

The purposes of this paper are (1) to describe background and current content of the Agenda for the United States Department of Education's assessment of the Chapter 2 block grant; (2) to stimulate discussion of the structure and approaches proposed; and (3) to solicit ideas and comments from state, local and university researchers. To meet these…

The first Teaching American History (TAH) grants were made available to K-12 schools from the Department of Education in 2002. They provide money to school systems for three-year projects to form partnerships with area organizations with the goal of increasing the American history knowledge of teachers and students. This study focuses on the…

The Star Schools Assistance Program has been funding activities since 1988. It provides projects with seed money to develop distance learning programming and equip sites. In addition, Star Schools has served as a focal point for demonstrating innovative uses of technology to advance educational opportunity and improvement. This paper represents…

Passage of the Education Amendments of 1974 added a new section to Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, which required the U.S. Commissioner of Education to undertake specific activities regarding evaluation of the program. Efforts made by the Office of Education to implement this law are described, including the…

An 11-point plan was developed by the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS) in cooperation with the California Department of Education for the 1990-91 year. Major program objectives were designed to enhance agency involvement, identify underlying causes of student attrition, examine test administration and security practices,…

The integrity of research conducted in academic institutions should not be compromised in the conflict between the scientific community, public agencies, and legislators over oversight of federally funded projects. Integrity can be protected through prevention of abuse in researcher recruitment and training and through partnership between faculty…

Data standards of the State Postsecondary Review Entities (SPRE) required under Title IV of the amended Higher Education Act are discussed, including how institutions can collect data to meet these standards. Background information is provided concerning the need for states to assume new oversight responsibilities concerning institutional…

A study done for the National Community Education Advisory Council to assess programs funded under the Community Schools Act is presented in an introduction and three parts. Study goals, as defined in the introduction, are to describe the organization and operation of community education projects of local educational agencies, state educational…