The Southeast Florida Center on Aging administers a comprehensive program in gerontology at Florida International University, with core and contract funding from a variety of federal, state, and institutional sources. The center's aims are to serve as a focal point for applied public policy research; design and implement gerontological education…

The new International Business major within the School of Business, begun in fall 1989, is an ongoing, enriched program for highly motivated students of above-average scholastic achievement. Its primary purposes are to (1) prepare students to understand America's trading partners and (2) teach the technical knowledge needed in an international…

The role of mentoring in the 2 + 2 Instrumentation and Control (I&C) articulation project between the Leander Independent School District (LISD) and Austin Community College (ACC) is discussed in this document. Following a brief history of the origin and function of the mentor, the paper explains the need for the mentoring system in the I&C…

The development of evaluation criteria for Indiana's three-level system for delivering vocational and technical education (VTE) is described. The comprehensive program covers planning, delivery, and coordination. The coordinating body is the Indiana Commission on Vocational and Technical Education. State-level administering agencies are the…

Community-based organizations (CBOs) have been an integral part of the employment and training programs of the past two decades and have provided a wide variety of services to youth and adults alike. The vast differences between different CBOs make it impossible to draw definitive, generalizable conclusions about them. It appears, however, that…

A previous study of the perceived social realism of television series featuring families was both replicated and extended with a sample of 1692 second, sixth, and tenth graders in 42 schools in southern California. The "Viewing Frequency" instrument and the "Realism" instrument took children 10-15 minutes to complete. Content…

This paper addresses the need for special education students to learn appropriate work-related oral language and personal/social oral competencies to enhance their success in transition/career-oriented endeavors. It emphasizes the need for an interdisciplinary approach in developing these skills. The paper begins with a historical perspective,…

Literature on mastery learning (ML) is reviewed from the perspectives of past efforts, current approaches, and future directions. To date, approaches in managing the ML literature have been in four major areas: (1) the "typing" of ML efforts in the context of a comprehensive literature review; (2) the compilation of state-of-the-art bibliographies…

Data banks with items calibrated under an item response model can be used for the construction of tests. Mathematical programming models like the Maximin Model are formulated for computerized item selection from a bank. In this paper, mathematical programming models based on the Maximin Model are proposed for the construction of weakly parallel…

This curriculum guide presents basic definitions, models, and examples as a framework that individual technology education instructors or departments can use to construct their own units, courses, and curricula at any level. An overview describes the development of the model and the content of technology education. Section I explains technology.…

Causal attribution has been found to have a great effect on future performance. Causal attributions were studied across two academic subjects and two outcomes using an open-ended measure. All 180 ninth-graders in a girls' high school in the Bay Area of San Francisco (California) stated their best and worst subjects and provided their perceived…

The paper describes a state (Arkansas) planning process for delivering appropriate technology support services to citizens with disabilities as implemented in the TAARK (Technology Access for Arkansans) Project and the ARTAP (Arkansas Technology Access Program). The model focuses on active consumer involvement and a comprehensive service delivery…

In an effort to develop a process for measuring institutional effectiveness, the National Alliance of Community and Technical Colleges and the Center on Education and Training for Employment sent a questionnaire to the 46 member institutions of the Alliance asking them to define institutional effectiveness and to list factors for measuring it. A…

This paper is the final report of a multi-year project sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in 1987 through 1990. The main objectives of the research summarized were to: investigate the non-parametric approach to the estimation of the operating characteristics of discrete item responses; revise and strengthen the package computer…

This newsletter theme issue looks at infant day care models including those emphasizing early intervention with special needs infants. The lead article, "Infants in Day Care: Reflections on Experiences, Expectations and Relationships," by Jeree H. Pawl, stresses the importance of understanding infants' and toddlers' capacities and needs in…