This handbook documents the comprehensive evaluation and training system that is being used with Indiana's adult basic education programs. It consists of a set of instruments to assess the effectiveness of ABE programs and a series of workshops to train program providers to carry out the evaluation. Two introductory sections contain a guide to the…

One of the most persistent dilemmas faced by practicing educational administrators is choosing an appropriate model for decision making. This paper presents findings of a study that investigated the appropriateness of Cohen, March, and Olsen's (1972) Garbage Can Model of decision making. The case study examined the decision-making behavior of the…

This article explores sex bias in curricular materials for elementary and secondary schools. Sex bias is defined as a set of unconscious behaviors that, in themselves, are often trivial and generally favorable. Although these behaviors do not hurt if they happen only once, they can cause a great deal of harm if a pattern develops that serves to…

This document presents information on the Blue Springs School District's Student Assistance Program (SAP) designed to address the social and family issues that affect students' academic performance. The Blue Springs SAP began in fall 1986, evolved rapidly, and in 1992 was in 18 building sites. In 1994 the program developed links with the Blue…

The VIISA (Vision Impaired In-Service in America) training model provided early intervention/childhood professionals with training that would help them better serve preschoolers, ages birth to five, with blindness and visual impairment. Materials and procedures for two courses were developed and taught to 344 participants in 9 states over a 3-year…

The hypothesis that faulty classical psychometric and sampling procedures in test construction could generate systematic bias against ethnic groups with smaller representation in the test construction sample was studied empirically. Two test construction models were developed: one with differential representation of ethnic groups (White, African…

This report presents the results of the evaluation of multicultural education programs conducted by the Office of Educational Research of the New York City Board of Education. The Board had required each district to appoint a coordinator to organize, coordinate, and facilitate multicultural activities. In all cases, however, this was only a…

A case study approach was used to analyze the commercial training markets for further education (FE) colleges in Sheffield, England. The following aspects of training supply and demand in Sheffield were examined: regional employment market (occupational structure and economic outlook); size, value, and segmentation of the training market;…

Teacher educators have become increasingly interested in the beliefs preservice teachers bring to their undergraduate methods courses. S. Lortie (1975) posited that the major influence in shaping future teachers' conceptions of teaching is their previous years of experience as students. A study of students in preservice reading methods courses…

This book describes the steps and tools of Total Quality Management (TQM) and their use in the academic units of colleges and universities for Total Quality Improvement (TQI), illustrated by a case study from the School of Arts & Sciences at a state university. Section 1 explains how to: (1) identify problems contributing to non-value-added…

This report provides information and conceptual tools needed to foster development of an interdisciplinary pedagogy geared to solving of environmental problems. It describes several procedures to further educational activities aimed at the solution of environmental problems. The approaches presented include the following: (1) The discussion group…

Research and controversy continues to surround the principles that underpin the teaching of English. English teachers, nonetheless, must understand and be able to articulate a rationale for what they believe to be important in the teaching of English. In Great Britain the introduction of a National Curriculum for England and Wales has produced a…

Qualitative approaches in educational research are challenging traditional postivistic, psychometric paradigms by emphasizing: (1) close contact over detachment; (2) multiple techniques in obtaining data; (3) bottom-up inductive frameworks; and (4) phenomenological approaches. Section 1, "Ethnographic Investigations into High Schools," includes…

This research project proposes a counseling framework for Asian parents of children with special needs, based on the dynamics of the Filipino family. As Filipinos are the biggest ethnic minority group in California and the second largest Asian group in Santa Clara County, the Filipino group was selected to represent all Asian groups. The project…

Faculty concerns about integrating computers in teacher education courses were studied for 26 members of the education faculty at a northwest university. Faculty members responded to the Stages of Concern about an Innovation Questionnaire and discussed their concerns in interviews. The Concerns-Based Adoption Model, which provided the conceptual…