Lesson study, the dominant form of professional development for teachers in Japan, has spread rapidly in the U.S. since 1999. In this article, the authors discuss the growth and success of lesson study at Highlands Elementary School in California's San Mateo-Foster City School District and identify conditions needed for scale-up. They also discuss…

We present an approach for integrating instruction of scientific writing and reading into undergraduate science courses, inspired by the pedagogical theory of cognitive apprenticeship. We demonstrate its implementation and describe a study of students' feedback that enabled us to elicit students' difficulties and fine-tune the next application…

This article presents the experience of Marshall University Graduate College in using online middle level teacher preparation. The case suggests that such a format provides opportunities for efficient, accessible, and effective training for middle level teachers. Online training does not suggest a different philosophy to that of the traditional…

One of the most effective ways to implement the research-based instructional strategies from Classroom Instruction That Works is to use them with educational technologies, such as word processing and spreadsheet applications, multimedia, data collection tools, communication software, and the Internet. This book shows you how and gives you hundreds…

In this technical report, the authors describe the development alternate forms of three types of early literacy measures as part of a comprehensive progress monitoring literacy assessment system developed in 2006 for use with students in Kindergarten through fourth grade. They begin with a brief overview of the two conceptual frameworks underlying…

A new teacher education program implemented at the University of Wyoming in the Fall of 1992, made radical changes in the preexisting program. To take the place of student teaching, the program involves students in field experiences in schools participating as Wyoming Centers for Teaching and Learning. In the Fall of 1993 an in-house formative…

One way to assure that assessment can have a positive impact on learning is to begin by understanding the nature of formative assessment. Understanding the distinction between formative and summative assessment will make it possible to use each for improvement of education. It becomes increasingly important that schools promote learning that is…

HyperProb is a Hypercard tutoring system designed to help students develop an effective step-by-step schema for solving probability problems. With this program, students are able to select areas they wish to study via hypermedia links and develop an understanding of terminology and procedures at their own pace with continued reinforcement. Nine…

This progress report, as required by Act 359 of the South Carolina General Assembly, describes activities of a consortium of business and academic leaders toward development of a performance-based funding plan based on 37 performance indicators for public institutions of higher education in the state. Briefly summarized are the status of: measures…

This paper reports on the implementation of a formative evaluation plan developed by nine educators (seven teachers and two administrators) in Richland School District Two (Columbia, South Carolina). Experienced high school teachers set improvement goals for themselves and met with evaluators or peers throughout the year to discuss progress and…

This report assesses the interim progress made toward increasing the college-going rate at 11 schools that received College Bound grants from the General Electric (GE) Foundation. It provides information about the kinds of programs developed, early indications of the effects the approaches have on promoting college going and influencing school…

The Westport Business Technology Magnet High School completed its first year of operation as part of the Kansas City (Missouri) School District's Long-Range Magnet School Plan. The program was evaluated through classroom observations, enrollment rates and test scores, and surveys of 146 students, 49 teachers, and 217 parents. Program…

The Achip Pilot Project was implemented in six Detroit (Michigan) public schools during the 1997-98 school year. The Achip is a small hand-held device with a computer chip that allows students to access information about their subject matter. Teachers can develop this information by creating exercises that are in alignment with their lesson plans…

An evaluation of a prekindergarten program was conducted to assess its merit and to assist in the formative revision of program activities. The program operated in a public elementary school in a rural area close to a metropolitan area. Classroom observations, telephone interviews with 25 parents, surveys of 2 elementary school teachers, and…

Divided into three parts, this report examines the educational system in the Netherlands in a study conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Part 1, the Examiners' Report, describes and discusses the Dutch education system, raises issues, and identifies policy options in seven chapters: (1) introduction; (2)…