The Federal Government has sponsored job training for the unemployed and economically disadvantaged for more than three decades. The National Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) study is the first evaluation of a major ongoing national program that uses a random assignment experimental design in which only program experience divides participants…

This paper examines the meaning of "rural" in rural education research and the relationship of this meaning to the research project's design and purpose. In traditional, comparative research designs, "rural" becomes a part of research that involves or implies comparisons with the nonrural. In contrast, emergent, interpretive…

Investigations of changes in conceptions during physics instruction are the logical and necessary steps to follow successful international research on students' preinstructional conceptions. The theoretical perspective integrates currently available frameworks of cognition, cognitive states, and cognitive processes in physics. Particular emphasis…

The Texas Poll of Elementary School Teachers was a statewide telephone survey designed to accurately describe the current science teaching practices in Texas public elementary schools, and the extent to which these elementary teachers feel prepared for the task. This paper focused on the survey sampling procedures and questionnaire design used in…

A theoretical framework can provide coherence and direction to an ongoing series of research activities conducted in a variety of settings by collaborative investigators. An adaptation of the PRECEDE health education model provides the theoretical framework for research activities conducted by The Healthy Kids Project, a cooperative effort in…

This paper explores technical questions of ethnographic study and uses as an example an actual episode observing college students and the subsequent decisions and steps taken to produce a written account. In particular, the paper seeks to address the question of researcher subjectivity by examining some issues relating to the practice of…

Intended as a guide for both novice and experienced researchers, this collection of articles focuses on single-subject experimental research used for investigations in literacy. The premise of the collection is that this single-subject approach allows researchers--both those from outside the classroom and teacher-researchers--to discover how an…

Large sample standard errors of linear equating for the single-group design are derived without making the normality assumption. Two general methods based on the delta method of M. Kendall and A. Stuart (1977) are described. One method uses the exact partial derivatives, and the other uses numerical derivatives. Simulation using the beta-binomial…

A pilot study was conducted to investigate preferred leadership style, faculty job satisfaction, and faculty attitudes toward decentralized budget authority at a selected midwestern research institution. An "Attitude Toward Decentralization" (ATD) scale was developed to determine faculty attitudes toward decentralized authority and…

Through a synthesis of ongoing case studies covering over 500 schools, this report highlights the story of school reform in the Chicago Public Schools (Illinois) at the elementary school level. The analysis draws on a case-study syntheses of field research over the past 3 years, new analyses of survey data from principals and teachers, and…

To meet public scrutiny and increased demands for quality public education, schools must plan. Developing legitimate plans depends on the ability to recognize the patterns that guide current practice and uncover those that will create change. Educators need to understand the planning concepts that have helped business meet new challenges. To bring…

This training manual was written to assist in planning and implementing follow-up studies of secondary special education programs. The model presented is based on a longitudinal study conducted by the Vermont Department of Education and the University of Vermont, which collected information from previous students with and without handicapping…

One of the most notable findings in contemporary behavior genetics is that children growing up in the same family are not very similar. The nine chapters in this book examine the contribution of genetics, shared environment, and nonshared environment to development. Chapters include: (1) "Behavioral Genetic Evidence for the Importance of…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a multisensory spelling intervention under two conditions using high-frequency words written in isolation and in context. The population for the study was 15 fourth and fifth grade students with learning disabilities. A randomized, pretest-posttest control group design was used. The…

The Office of Program Evaluation (OPE) of the Austin Independent School District (Texas) (AISD) is charged with evaluating federally, locally, and state funded programs in the AISD. OPE staff carry out mandated reporting for federal and state grants and are increasingly involved in formative evaluations designed for program improvement and…