Traditionally campus-based courses rely on student evaluations to provide instructors with feedback about their teaching effectiveness. However, current student evaluations of teaching instruments do not adequately assess many of the essential constructivist-based teaching practices recommended for quality online learning experiences. One of the…

Background: This study explores everyday social competence in the lives of persons with three genetic intellectual disability syndromes. Methods: Using parent reports on the Social and Activity Competence domains of Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), socially competent behaviours were examined in 58 persons with Williams syndrome, 54…

A variety of barriers relating to resources, institutional and administrative policies, skills development and attitudes can hinder the effectiveness of technology professional development resulting in underutilized technology resources and lack of integration of those resources within instruction. Multiple methods were used to evaluate the…

This article describes the rationale for a first-year seminar for international students and reports the findings of a study examining its effectiveness. The seminar focuses on four primary objectives: (a) policies and procedures of the university's English as a Second Language (ESL) program; (b) university policies and American higher education;…

This article presents a study based on surveys conducted annually for the past nine years by the Samara Foundation for Social Research, commissioned by the committee for youth affairs of the administration of Samara Oblast. The sample consists of about 800 young people aged fourteen to thirty. In the present study the authors have focused on…

This study provided an in-depth view of augmentative and alternative (AAC) team member's perceptions of AAC device use with older students. Six special education teachers and one speech-language pathologist (SLP) who worked as members of an AAC team were interviewed to determine their perceptions of AAC use in junior high and high school settings.…

In a new urgency to ensure that critical incident plans, communication plans, and parental reunification plans are in place at all institutions responsible for the safety of America's children, the U.S. Courts have stated that preparation is a duty and expectation of those acting in a "locos parental" role. As public schools adopt rapid…

Some key findings from data analysis of student records and college surveys regarding non-prescribed higher education (NPHE) courses at further education (FE) colleges in England, many of which are not formally recognized as higher education, are as follows: (1) over half of enrolled students are over age 30 and enrolled part time; (2) there is no…

Extending the school day and year is not easy. The conventional calendar remains one of the most intractable features of the American educational system. Altering the traditional school schedule has significant ramifications for parents, students, teachers, and school administrators. This reform impacts student and family schedules, transportation…

This report focuses on distance education within the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) for the 2007-08 academic year and provides documentation of the substantial growth of distance education within all colleges and universities. Distance education is a field of continuous improvement and change, and NSHE institutions are constantly…

This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

The 4th International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM 2011) brings together researchers from computer science, education, psychology, psychometrics, and statistics to analyze large datasets to answer educational research questions. The conference, held in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, July 6-9, 2011, follows the three previous editions…

The Augmented Staffing model of the Chicago Public Schools (Illinois) is a reduced class size, full-day program that includes almost 6,500 elementary school students served under Chapter 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The effects of this program were studied, examining the level of teacher knowledge about the program and…

Research planned to improve understanding of conative educational processes and outcomes is described. Over the past year, literature reviews have been conducted aimed at defining categories of assessment of student persistence, freedom from distraction, engagement, and other school-and-work related attitudes and motivations, both as learning…

This volume offers 14 chapters of practical advice for teachers on how to handle the demands of their profession and how to avoid burnout during their career. The chapters are: (1) "Fitting in with the Staff" (teachers, administrators, staff, aides, resource teachers, librarians or media specialists, professional help, school board, nurse); (2)…