The National Academy of Education (NAEd) undertook this consensus report on the evaluation and improvement of teacher preparation programs (TPPs). Specifically, this consensus report aims to (1) identify and disseminate best practices for evaluating and improving TPPs to promote teacher effectiveness and student achievement; (2) provide…

Purpose: The aim of the paper is to analyse the use of Communities of Practice and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance knowledge sharing between researchers and advisors. The associated research question is to what extent ICT supported a virtual Community of Practice and has been effective in counteracting fragmentation…

Articles in this special issue discuss the utilization of social research by governmental commissions. How social science knowledge influences their decision making is examined. (RM)

Based upon the experiences of Delgado Community College (DCC), this series of presentations examines the use of needs assessment as a planning tool. After explaining the way needs assessment is defined at DCC, Carol Hopson discusses the decisions to be made before beginning a needs assessment with respect to: (1) institutional willingness to abide…

Recommendations of several publications with regard to the use of hand-held calculators in the mathematics curriculum are presented. Relevant portions of the NACOME and Euclid Conference reports are cited as well as a report to NSF and recommendations from an NIE/NSF conference. Recommendations support expanded use of, and research concerning,…

In response to low graduation and transfer rates among degree-seeking students, Prince George's Community College (PGCC), in Maryland, established a campus-wide retention committee to develop recommendations to improve student achievement. A significant source of information for the committee was a longitudinal student tracking system and a…

Information on research efforts concerning higher education in Sweden is presented. Questions that have been addressed by the Swedish research program in the past five years have included the long-term social effects of higher education activities, the knowledge traditions of higher education programs, and the conditions of research with and…

It has been acknowledged that the federal government has a responsibility to provide significant support for the nation's basic research whereas the role for support of technology is less understood. This report concerns a study on the determination of the appropriate role of the federal government in technology development. Currently the federal…

Concerns of the National Security Agency (NSA) that information contained in some articles about cryptography in learned and professional journals and in monographs might be inimical to the national security are addressed. The Public Cryptography Study Group, with one dissenting opinion, recommends that a voluntary system of prior review of…

This book will help the reader every step of the way with detailed guidelines, practical tips, templates, action plans, and suggestions for strategic planning teams as well as for the sole practitioner. Consolidating the sage advice and up-to-date research of 29 leaders in the field, this comprehensive and highly practical guide takes the…

This document presents the national plan for research and development (R&D) in adult education and literacy that was developed by the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL). The document begins by explaining the process used to develop the plan, which included conducting a literature review, obtaining input from a national steering group, and…