The traditional concept of evaluating college teaching involves evaluation of each autonomous instructor in each classroom on campus. This paper addresses a competing concept--the need for evaluating the contribution each instructor makes to the maintenance and improvement of all instructional programs in the department--holding that both…

This document is the Tennessee Board of Regents' (TBR's) second annual report card, which details the accomplishments of the state's public higher education institutions in four areas: student learning, academic programs, faculty productivity, and financial accountability. An overall status report is provided for the entire state system, followed…

Science now offers new conceptions of the learning process and the development of competent performance. This book presents a contemporary account of principles of learning, and calls into question concepts and practices commonly used in schools. Topics explored include how learning actually changes the physical structure of the brain, the effect…

The California Community Colleges State Chancellor's Office released two reports,"The Effectiveness of California Community Colleges on Selected Performance Indicators" and "The Partnership for Excellence Fact Book," summarizing community college performance on a series of institutional performance indicators. This document…

This prospectus outlines the key elements of the state-by-state report card which the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education is developing to assist state policy leaders in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of higher education performance in their state. The goal is to stimulate the creation of state policies that enhance…

A team of teacher educators, preservice teachers, and host teachers collaborated to develop and pilot a performance-based assessment model in the form of multimedia portfolios as a means of providing tangible, authentic, qualitative data to document preservice teacher learning objectives and P-12 student outcomes and, at the same time, promote…

Although extensive research exists on the publishing success of academics, few studies have examined factors influencing the publishing success of graduate students and young academics. Data from a survey of 12,000 graduate students in the Humanities and related social sciences was used to examine citizenship, gender and racial/ethnic differences…

The Research-to-Policy Connections series summarizes current research on key topics in child care and early education and discusses implications for policymakers. An examination of employed parents' child care arrangements for their infants and toddlers while working, at school, or otherwise unavailable to provide parental child care, and…

Over the last few years, the Board and staff of the MacArthur Foundation have been exploring the implications of the digital age. They are engaged in a continuous and purposeful meditation on technological innovations and their possibilities for all the work they do. Their working hypothesis is that the digital revolution will rank with the…

In order to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004, states must collect valid data as needed to report annually to the Secretary of Education. This requirement, combined with those set forth in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, has led states to collect and analyze data about their programs, districts,…

Students who engage in eLearning without basic computer skills may struggle with the technology instead of the academic content, drop out of courses, and then be excluded, not only from online learning, but also from technology enhanced, classroom-based learning. The purpose of this study was to identify those students, and whether those without…

Owners of laser canes and Sonicguides were surveyed to determine whether these devices were used in employment settings. Of the 94 respondents, 74 were still using their electronic travel aids: 36 percent used the devices to travel to and from work, and 49 percent used them on the job. (SEW)

This article explores the idea of teacher-training institutions providing a warranty to school districts for each new teacher graduated from the institution and hired by the school district. Implications of such a program, including performance criteria to be established for teachers and ways to remedy a graduate's inadequate performance, are…

A comparison of two major studies on high school seniors' views of themselves and their schools reveals how their attitudes changed during the 1970s. The article discusses academic issues, future expectations, values, the schools, and major trends. (WD)

Investigated dynamics of change at the classroom level by identifying factors influencing change perceived by administrators, teachers, pupils, and investigator-observer. Results are reported as facilitating/hindering factors affecting adoption of individualized instruction, including teacher, course of study, facilities/materials, administration,…