The primary objective of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) "High Schools That Work" ("HSTW") is to help schools improve so more students can reach their full potential. The "HSTW" Follow-up Study of 2004 Graduates is one measure that gauges how well schools have prepared their students for college and careers. Students' reflections on…

"Safe, Healthy and Ready to Succeed: Arizona School Readiness Key Performance Indicators" presents a set of baseline measurements that gauge how well a statewide system of school readiness supports is addressing issues that affect Arizona children's readiness for school. The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) measure the system, rather…

Turning around a low-performing school is a complex process in which cause-effect relationships are difficult to isolate. But recent interest in helping low-performing schools--spurred on by the reforms mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act--has generated some useful research and thoughtful analysis. This digest explores some of the key…

A project sought to improve mathematics instruction at the Winnebago Public School (WPS) on the Winnebago Indian Reservation (Nebraska) and to provide purposeful interactions between preservice teachers from Wayne State College and Native American children. WPS educators, grades K-6, improved their mathematics instructional ability by attending…

This paper is part of a collection of 54 papers from the 48th annual conference of the Education Law Association held in November 2002. It discusses teacher evaluation by principals. Specifically, it presents findings of research that examined the nature of policy creation at the local board level in response to accountability legislation in North…

A study reviewed outcomes of 34 prevention programs for children (ages 5-18) that produce improvements in specific psychological symptoms or in factors directly associated with increased risk for child mental disorders. The following conclusions can be made regarding validated programs: (1) short-term preventive interventions produce time-limited…

This study was an investigation of staff development programs designed to provide teachers with strategies through which all learners, including gifted, minority, and limited-English proficient students, can be appropriately served in a middle school environment sensitive to diverse learner academic needs. Participants in the study were assigned…

This report has been prepared for the National Training Reform Taskforce to report on the future supply of, and requirements for, vocational education and training (VET) qualifications in Australia. It is intended to inform the next stages of reform of the sector to be considered by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). The report…

Vocational education, first offered in America's public high schools in the early 1900s, has evolved over the last century, responding to different times, falling under different names, and assuming different forms. Career and Technology Education (CTE) today encompasses not just technical preparation for a specific field, but also the strong…

What is meant when people say that "learning environments are increasingly complex"? What is known about the cognitive processing that occurs during complex learning? How can educators provide effective instructional support for students who must learn and apply complex knowledge? These questions, and related issues, have fascinated educators and…

Employment counseling is a set of interventions designed to help clients identify and resolve issues in employment-related decisions. This digest examines Canada's measurement model which was designed to enhance understanding of counseling's function. The model uses four employability dimensions: (1) career/occupation decision making; (2) skills…

This book is designed to provide future and experienced educators and other professionals with a fundamental understanding of traditional and contemporary perspectives on the assessment of children and youth, aged 3 through 21. It features broad coverage of traditional and contemporary assessment approaches. Individual tests are discussed at…

This study involved developing a method for identifying caring teachers/professors in pre-service teacher education who can then be further studied as part of research on caring. For three semesters, the study gathered nominations from students in their last semester at Bowling Green State University, Ohio. A total of 417 students responded (42…

This paper describes the activities and thoughts that went into the development and implementation of Brazosport College's institutional effectiveness (IE) model. The Community College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CCSEQ) was used to collect data on student satisfaction, and to provide constructs to use as outcome indicators for evaluating…

This paper documents the development of an authentic assessment evaluation process at Ohio's Wright State University (WSU), examining authentic assessment efforts related to PRAXIS III/Pathwise Assessment, which is being piloted by the Ohio Department of Education as the model for teacher licensure. Portfolios receive major attention during WSU's…