Pupil learning about evolution under different types of instruction is examined. A branching style program in which written responses were required was compared with a program in which the same material was presented in straight narrative style. The project compiled and analyzed test results from 115 fifth-grade students. The students were divided…

This interim report, the first of three requested by Congress from NIE, is in response to Congress' instructions to NIE via the 1974 ESEA amendments to (1) conduct a study of compensatory education programs which would examine the fundamental purposes and effectiveness of the programs, (2) analyze ways of identifying children in greatest need of…

In January 1998-March 2000, a new statistical assessment and referral system to improve the job retention of welfare recipients participating in welfare-to-work programs was piloted in the welfare-to-work program serving two counties in southwestern Michigan. The assessment and referral system is based on statistical methods and uses…

Efforts focused on improving quality processes based upon the Malcolm Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence may hold promise for fundamentally improving K-12 education. This policy report examines the information available on improving school quality through implementation of the Baldrige criteria. It provides a snapshot of what…

The informal learning practices of bank branch workers were examined in a study of a major Canadian bank. The study included ethnographic fieldwork and secondary analysis of a national survey of branch workers' learning practices during the introduction of a new financial services software system. Activity theory was used to examine workers'…

Patterns and trends in the vocational-technical course taking of public high school graduates between 1982 and 1998 were examined in a study of high school transcripts for the graduating classes of 1982, 1990, 1992, 1994, and 1998. The source data came from the following five studies: (1) High School and Beyond Sophomore Cohort, First Follow-up…

This paper presents proceedings from a 2001 working conference of the State and District Support to Low-Performing Schools initiative, which presented research-based strategies and exemplary practice to improve low-performing schools. The presentations focused on state and district systems of support to low-performing schools; use of data to…

This study is designed to improve understanding of the supply of and demand for information technology (IT) workers in America and contextual issues surrounding that topic. Chapter 1 examines aspects of the political context concerning IT workforce issues. Chapter 2 outlines a way to distinguish IT workers from a much larger class of workers whose…

Data from the Canadian Test of English for Scholars and Trainees (CanTEST) are compared to data from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to establish CanTEST as a valid admissions tool for English-as-a-Second Language college applicants. Data are taken from four groups of examinees who took both tests. (eight references) (LR)

A study determines the effect of a six-day wilderness experience on self-concept, knowledge of and attitude toward the environment of twelfth grade students (n=61). Results indicate that changes in self-concept and environmental knowledge can occur from short-term wilderness experiences. (56 references) (MCO)

Evaluation of data from assessments of full bibliographic displays in academic library OPACs (online public access catalogs) and World Wide Web catalogs against a checklist of desirable features found that OPAC displays scored 58% and Web displays scored 60%. Discusses weaknesses, focusing on those found in the majority of the displays…

In the context of Autoparts, a multinational manufacturer for automotive electronics, Lotus Notes was employed to create an e-learning system. This system was titled "Using Notes for Case-based Learning Environments" (UNCLE). The UNCLE project attempted to encapsulate knowledge and understanding of those organizational factors that might influence…

Recognizing the challenges rural districts face in providing broad curricular offerings and supplemental educational services to students, in 2007, the 80th Texas Legislature authorized the creation of a pilot program designed to provide technology-based supplemental educational services to rural school districts that show an overall academic need…

In a letter dated June 1, 2006, Utah informed the U.S. Department of Education (ED) of its intention to carefully and thoughtfully revise its Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) plan with the aim of achieving the goal set in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of having all teachers meet highly qualified (HQ) requirements by the end of the 2006-2007…

This report shows the rural disparities in the baseline data of the Birth and Kindergarten Cohorts of the national Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS). The National Center for Rural Early Childhood Learning Initiatives, known as Rural Early Childhood, commissioned Child Trends to perform the analysis of key indicators of child well-being and…