A study was undertaken to investigate the validity of a progress test, the Maastricht Progress Test, that was designed to measure knowledge and clinical reasoning growth in a problem-based medical curriculum. Scores and subscores of about 40 students per year (total sample of 195) on the different categories of the progress test were compared with…

This case study examined the unsuccessful efforts of the University of Maine's (UM) president, Frederick Hutchinson, to "downsize" that institution begun in 1993. It focuses on reasons for the failure of Hutchinson to persuade the faculty to accept his vision. The study used a combination of Michael Hammer and James Champy's list of…

A study of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners' self-efficacy and its relationship to achievement is reported. Subjects were four students from the highest level reading and writing class in Indiana University's intensive English program. Each was interviewed in a tape-recorded session, to explore his/her English learning experience and…

This document contains three papers on aviation education. "Aviation/Aerospace Teacher Education Workshops: Program Development and Implementation" (Mavis F. Green) discusses practical issues in the development of an aviation/aerospace teacher education workshop designed to help elementary school teachers promote aviation to their…

Frequently, adults organize and implement youth projects without involving youth in the process. However, youth should be involved in problem identification and program design because they understand the needs of their peers and how to reach them effectively. This paper examines youth participation as a process for bringing about effective youth…

This report highlights four urban comprehensive secondary schools that are developing, implementing, and evaluating reform initiatives that include vocational and technical education as a key component of these efforts. Efforts of these four high schools are described: Bryan High School, Omaha, Nebraska; Humboldt Secondary Complex, St. Paul,…

The impact of changes in work organization on development of Portugese workers' skills was examined. At the macro level, a national study was conducted to identify current and possible future relationships among initial training, continuing training, the labor market, and industrial relations in Portugal. At the micro level, cases studies of three…

A course on the needs of students with disabilities implemented an activity for preservice vocational teachers to promote problem solving and active application of knowledge. Participants carried out the following activities: (1) observing and interviewing a student with a disability and his or her teachers; (2) writing a case study about the…

The individual responsible for spearheading reform for the education of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in Linda Vista Elementary School (San Diego, California) describes the process, issues, and outcomes of the initiative in this theme issue. Linda Vista Elementary School has a student population that is 77 percent LEP. The personalized…

This study examined changes in private college governance during the years 1960-90, and at how external forces affected decision making structures and processes and at faculty's powers. The theoretical construct for the study was largely based on H. Mintzberg's (1983) concepts of organizational structure and power. Historical and case study…

This document contains four papers presented at a symposium moderated by Allen Church at the 1996 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development. "Teambuilding Intervention Strategy Development: A Case Study of Two Midwestern Manufacturing Industries" (Paul E. Brauchle, David W. Wright) discusses a qualitative case study of employee…

Of the 19 projects conducted as part of the Defense Conversion Adjustment (DCA) Demonstration administered by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Work-Based Learning, 8 tested the worker mobility approach. The projects, which shared the common goal of helping dislocated defense workers find high-quality jobs, tested one or more of the…

This report, the second in a series of six, presents the findings of evaluative studies of six Level I Model Technology School sites which were conducted as part of Phase II of the California Educational Technology Assessment Program. The project sites are: Alhambra City School District (two schools); Cupertino Union Elementary District and…

This study describes an innovative alternative assessment program used in an undergraduate educational psychology course. Subjects were 60 undergraduate students enrolled in a teacher preparation program at a midwestern liberal arts college. Each student was required to demonstrate mastery of course objectives through a course portfolio. The study…

This serial issue contains five articles relating to career exploration for middle school youth. The first article makes up most of the publication. It explains the concept of Future Options Education, basic tenets of which are the following: (1) career and college preparatory interventions need to be age and stage appropriate; (2) effective…