The aim of this paper is to investigate the factors involved in applying multimedia in teaching English as a foreign language. In particular, it deals with the non-courseware factors affecting the use of multimedia in improving the pronunciation and oral communications skills of students majoring in English for Specific Purposes at the Jordan…

This publication summarizes challenges and emerging issues that cities face as they respond to the needs of children and families. Data come from in-depth interviews with officials from 28 cities that participate in the National League of Cities' Municipalities in Transition Project, a high-level research effort drawing on information and…

This monograph provides a status report on issues related to accountability, including standards and assessments, data systems, and the role of incentives for schools, teachers, and students in improving student achievement. Using information gathered from the literature and interviews with state administrators of vocational education, this paper…

Using the Scale of Intrinsic versus Extrinsic Orientation in the Classroom (S. Harter, 1980) and the Self-Perception Profile for Children (S. Harter, 1985), this study of 222 urban early adolescents (median age=149 months) examined differences in motivation that might affect academic achievement and perceptions of competence. Socioeconomic status…

Research has shown a decline in motivation and performance for many children as they move from elementary school into middle school; however, research has also shown that the nature of motivational change on entry to middle school depends on characteristics of the learning environment in which students find themselves. This Digest outlines some…

In the new environment of increased international trade and investment flows, human resources represent the key competitive edge of this interconnected global economy. The share the United States has of worldwide output is shrinking. This issue explores data that provide a snapshot of how globalization is affecting the economy and changing its…

When one sees the new Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST), the first thing one will likely to notice is the building's impressive design. The school looks more like a Silicon Valley biotech firm than a typical new Colorado high school. Indeed, the innovative structure, modeled on a similar facility in San Diego, has already garnered…

People live in a fast-paced world in which, as the saying goes, the only constant is change. Like the rest of society, the American higher education system is grappling with changes that are significantly altering the landscape. This report surveys the higher education landscape and highlights a number of facts about the various converging trends.…

For the past few years the Florida School Code has set the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) performance requirements for promotion of 3rd graders and graduation for 10th graders. Grade 3 students who do not score at level 2 or higher on the FCAT SSS Reading must be retained unless exempted for special circumstances. Grade 10 students…

The College Board developed a program in the content areas of English and mathematics designed to prepare students for challenging content as early as grade 6 and extending through high school. Conceived with the goal of creating high-quality professional development activities with associated instructional strategies embedded in instructional…

This report reviews a theoretically inspired empirical investigation of individual differences in knowledge, abilities, and nonability traits as part of an ongoing effort to better understand adult intellectual development and to develop more accurate measures of adult intelligence. Twenty Knowledge Scales were constructed, drawing on…

Since its inception under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1965, the Title I program has provided high-poverty schools funding for services to assist low-achieving children. Title I promotes increasing the amount and quality of learning time; data-driven decisionmaking; providing an enriched and accelerated curriculum; and…

This report summarizes evaluation results from AISD's federally-funded Title I program activities during 2000-2001.

The purpose of the federal Title VI, Class Size Reduction program is to reduce class sizes in grades K-3 to 18 or fewer students. In AISD, these funds were used for recruiting, hiring, and training highly qualified teachers to raise student achievement through increased personal attention. This report summarizes evaluation results of AISD's Title…

The American Indian student enters the school system with a cultural heritage and set of values appreciably different from that of the educational system itself. This article gives an historic overview of Indian education and values and suggests specific teaching strategies to meet the needs of American Indian students. (Author/LC)