New information on the characteristics of elementary school principals is included in the most recent Schools and Staffing Survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. The results show that the number of public elementary school principals grew from 54,000 in 1993-1994 to 61,000 in 2003-2004. This roughly corresponds to the…

A variety of barriers relating to resources, institutional and administrative policies, skills development and attitudes can hinder the effectiveness of technology professional development resulting in underutilized technology resources and lack of integration of those resources within instruction. Multiple methods were used to evaluate the…

Narrowing the achievement gap between students who are native English speakers and those learning English as a second language is one of the biggest challenges facing U.S. educators. This article discusses the approaches used by the Saint Paul (Minn.) Public Schools in narrowing this achievement gap. Saint Paul (Minn.) Public Schools has one of…

This collection of papers provides a small overview of educational research in Estonia. The papers in the collection treat school reforms since the renewal of independence in 1991, new approaches to teacher training, the implementation of a child-centred approach in school, the achieving of educational aims and other actual topics in education.…

This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

This monograph reports the results of an effort to assess the experiences of family members and professionals who have received family/professional collaboration training and provides an evaluation of the training program and a discussion of the nature of collaboration. The fundamental concept underlying the training curriculum was the pairing of…

SOCRATES is the European Community's new education program for the member states of the European Union (EU) (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom) and the European Economic Area (EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). Its aims…

One method for assessing teacher performance is the teacher portfolio. This is a collection of work produced by a teacher to highlight and demonstrate his or her knowledge and skills in teaching. A portfolio also provides a means for reflection and an opportunity to critique one's own work and evaluate one's own effectiveness as a teacher. Rather…

In 1978, the two-year colleges of general and professional education (CEGEP) of Quebec were charged with taking on a more vigorous role in the economic development of the province. To formalize this new orientation, a number of vocational education and applied research centers were created, each specializing in a particular key technology. Centers…

A study was conducted to investigate staff development needs at Chabot College and Las Positas College as perceived by members of the faculty, administration, and classified staff; to develop strategies to address the perceived needs; and to recommend short- and long-term implementation plans. A Staff Development Needs Assessment Questionnaire, an…

This paper examines the issues that emerged in the first six months of a collaborative program initiated by the Massachusetts State Department of Education for simultaneously developing or improving middle school teacher preparation programs and restructuring middle schools. The literature on interorganizational collaboration provides a framework…

This book describes outcomes of a special teacher-preparation program at "Central College," which recruited high-ability students. Data were derived from individual and group interviews, analysis of student journals, observation, administration of standardized instruments, and videotapes of teaching performances. Following the foreword and…

Designed for use by local academic senates at community colleges in California, this paper describes faculty involvement in governance at the colleges, cites areas of faculty responsibilities, and provides suggestions for increasing faculty participation. Following introductory materials, a brief history is provided of community college faculty…

From a synthesis of findings culled from a study that examined partnerships of families and communities with middle schools at multiple sites, researchers derived eight "lessons" that can help foster understanding of the nature of family-school partnerships in the middle grades. Researchers also elaborated implications of these lessons,…

The Satellite Program is a collaborative project between the Elmhurst College (Illinois) Education Department and several area school districts. The primary objective of the program is to provide teacher education students the opportunity to participate in a required series of structured, monitored, and varied clinical experiences in public…