Formal definitions are one example of "decontextualized" language use, in which reliance on background knowledge shared with the interlocutor is minimized, and use of conversational devices is avoided. Definitions of English nouns by 137 second- to fifth-grade children, about half of whom were non-native English speakers, were analyzed…

Recommendations and issues concerning reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965 are presented in testimony from representatives of higher education from the State of Illinois and its postsecondary institutions. The Act provides the primary source of support for postsecondary institutions and students. The link between the amount of…

This report provides basic information on patterns and trends of research and development (R&D) performance in the United States itself and in relation to other countries, as well as data on public attitudes toward science and technology. Major areas addressed in the report's eight chapters include (1) the international science and technology…

New Jersey has proposed state and local programs to help solve educational problems in the areas of the teaching profession, student performance, and educational leadership. To continue a supply of talented teachers, the state has developed initiatives such as a minimum salary increase, a recruitment program for top high school graduates, reformed…

Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) conducted a study of students who were tested and placed in developmental courses in order to: (1) obtain a clearer picture of the level of high school preparation of these students; (2) to ascertain students' views of their high school preparation and the skills they perceived as needing more emphasis in high…

This document, one of 12 guides that have been developed to facilitate evaluation by and for local education agency (LEA) personnel in Illinois, covers student follow-up and employer follow-up surveys--activities designed to collect data for use in decisions regarding nearly every aspect of the program. State guidelines for the locally-developed…

This document, one of 12 guides that have been developed to facilitate evaluation by and for local education agency (LEA) personnel in Illinois, covers assessing basic skills through a set of activities for making professional decisions regarding remediation, individualized learning, and program and course improvements and for making status…

This document, one of 12 guides that have been developed to facilitate evaluation by and for local education agency (LEA) personnel in Illinois, covers cost and outcome analysis, a method of relating both monetary and nonmonetary returns to investments for the purpose of improving program planning and decision making. Throughout this activity, the…

This paper describes social problems that ethnic minorities are likely to experience in the 1980s and presents guidelines for shaping educational policies and programs that will help ethnic minority youths to experience more educational equity during the remainder of the decade. The minority groups discussed are those that are heavily concentrated…

This booklet was designed specifically for the parents of elementary school students in the Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Schools. It forms a part of the support kit developed for the Management for Effective Teaching (MET) project, which offers guidelines for school personnel in meeting the objectives of the school district curriculum Program…

Proceedings of the University/Urban Schools Task Force conference on what works in urban schools are summarized in this report. The future direction of the Task Force, articulated by conference participants, is described as a move toward the conceptualization and design of programs to teach thinking skills versus programs that mainly teach subject…

Ten authors offer a large array of theoretical and practical ideas for developing a viable Middle Eastern K-12 curriculum. A major purpose of the 10 articles is to help teachers in the United States become aware of problems confronting them in teaching about the Middle East. In the first article, the author discusses some problems--for example,…

This report presents needs assessment data gathered for a Teacher Corps project in Pine Bluff School District (Arkansas). Subjective and objective data were collected from students, parents, and school personnel at five elementary and secondary schools, and from education majors and faculty at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and the…

This observer's guide and checklist contains materials suitable for on-site evaluation of vocational education programs, a preliminary step in identifying quality indicators. It includes a cover sheet for recording program location and descriptive information and a list of procedures for conducting the evaluation. Separate sheets are provided for…

Based on the experience of Teams of NonTraditionals Support Network at Jefferson State Vocational Technical School (Kentucky), this manual is designed to help teachers and administrators to implement a support system for nontraditional students (primarily females in traditional male fields) in vocational and technical education programs. The…