"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Graduation for All, A Right and a Responsibility: National Campaign to Focus on Increasing High School Graduation…

This document is in semi-outline form and served as the basis of a conference presentation on how the discipline of industrial/organizational psychology addresses issues of fairness and justice. The paper begins with a comparison of personnel and organizational psychology (their application to job analysis, job selection systems, and performance…

The National Accessible Reading Assessment Projects (NARAP) is a collaborative effort that is conducting research to make large-scale assessments of reading proficiency more accessible for students who have disabilities that affect reading. There are two projects that comprise the NARAP partnership, Designing Accessible Reading Assessments (DARA)…

The manual provides a framework for two days of training in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instructional methods for monolingual special education teachers at the upper elementary level in New York City (New York) schools. The materials help teachers without ESL certification provide mandated ESL services to Limited-English-Proficient (LEP)…

A study investigated bachelor's degree completion times and related factors for students in Oklahoma higher education institutions. Data were drawn from survey information on 1,399 college freshmen in 1995 and cohort data on the entire freshman population of 37,059 in 1988. Analyses focus on comparison of students' expected and actual…

This collection of 34 essays focuses on the practical application of theory within the domain of college classroom teaching, dealing primarily with undergraduate teaching at two- and four-year institutions. Part 1 examines the psychological foundations of teaching and learning, with chapters on cognition, student motivation, student and faculty…

This publication is a guide for districts and schools moving toward a standards-based educational system. The information is based on a model developed in California. Chapter 1 explores the concepts and research underlying standards-based education. Chapter 2 guides the reader through standards, tests, and accountability measures. Developing a…

The 14 cases in this book show how distance learning takes a variety of forms in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). The 15 chapters include the following: (1) "Beyond Adding Telecommunications to a Traditional Course: Insights into Human and Instructional Factors Affecting Distance Learning in TESOL" (Lynn E.…

Because the current reform movement in education stresses the need for performance-based student assessments, it is imperative to train teachers to conduct the most appropriate and effective performance-based assessments of English language learners (ELLs). Accordingly, the purpose of this trainer's manual is to assist the teacher educator in…

The kit is intended for teachers beginning to teach English as a Second Language (ESL). The first part offers some ideas for testing, registering, and placing students according to their needs and goals. A sample registration form, placement test, list of commercially-available tests, and sample needs assessments are included here. The second…

Maintaining a balance among theory, research, and effective classroom practice without presenting a formulaic view of good instruction or overly theoretical discussions in which practical applications of research findings are not adequately explored, the 17 chapters in this book capture the best evidence-based thinking of experienced researchers…

Chapters in this volume include the following: "Policy and Ideology in the Spread of English" (James W. Tollefson); "Linguistic Human Rights and Teachers of English" (Tove Skutnabb-Kangas); "Official English and Bilingual Education: The Controversy over Language Pluralism in U.S. Society" (Susan J. Dicker); "Non-Native Varieties and the…

Talk of accountability (or the lack thereof ) dominates current Canadian education debates. We're not alone in this regard. Mawhinney (1998) observes that "the educational reform agenda in many industrialized nations today is driven by a perceived crisis in accountability" (p. 98). Unfortunately, as Earl (2001) also reminds us,…

This technical report presents an overview of a reading assessment used by a large school district in the Pacific Northwest. It provides sufficient background information to enable those unfamiliar with the assessment to understand the various subtests that comprise it as well as its development and application in the district for making…

The purpose of high-school education has generally been twofold--not only to furnish preparation for college, but also to provide some of the elements of a liberal education for those whose formal and directed study is to go no further. In not a few communities high schools were established in which the former purpose was expressly waived; but…