In this article I report on a unique tertiary level bilingual graduate program in Southwest Texas where the content as well as the form of implementation are based on an additive model of bilingualism. The analysis focuses on how bilingualism and bilingual professional identity are conceptualized by the participants in this community of practice…

Three principal factors supported our decision to participate in the piloting of the Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System (PVAAS). First, participants needed to have or secure electronic student assessment data. As a very data-oriented school district, we had over five years of longitudinal student data stored electronically for use in our…

This study helps integrate the work-life and work hours literatures by examining competing predictions about the relationship between work-life conflict and the desire for paid work. Using data from the 1997 National Study of the Changing Workforce (N = 2,178), I find that work-life conflict makes women want to decrease the number of hours they…

One theoretical feature that makes item response theory (IRT) models those of choice for many psychometric data analysts is parameter invariance, the equality of item and examinee parameters from different examinee populations or measurement conditions. In this article, using the well-known fact that item and examinee parameters are identical only…

A study was conducted to assess the equivalence of validity and reliability of two forms of the Self-Esteem Rating Scale. A total of 228 responses were obtained from a purposive sample. Several data analysis methods were used to test specific hypotheses, and two methods of equating observed scores on the two forms were used. The results were…

This research examines how first-year students' conceptualizations of personal learning theories changed as a result of instruction on learning styles. Students drew concept maps to organize their perceptions related to being successful learners. After completing learning inventories, students completed another concept map using the original…

Since Freud's own time, there has been great deal of debate about the most appropriate research methodology for investigating psychoanalytic psychotherapy [Fonagy, "Journal of Child Psychotherapy", 29 (2): 129-136, 2003; Rustin, "Journal of Child Psychotherapy", 29 (2): 137-145, 2003]. The single case study, which has a long tradition both within…

Objective: The authors assessed whether current methods of evaluating residency applicants and residents identify psychiatrists who later develop evidence of impairment. Method: Residency admissions and performance data for all physicians who were enrolled in a psychiatry residency between 1965 and 1994 and who were referred to an impaired…

This case involves a dilemma that school district evaluators frequently face. A superintendent directs an evaluator to participate in a press conference and present data validating the superintendent's program to improve high school course-passing rates. The evaluator presents his analysis to the superintendent, who directs him to remove some data…

There is continuing concern about the low enrolment of students on to some undergraduate science courses, especially physics. Here we explore some of the reasons that might underpin this. The views about physics and biology of Year 1 undergraduate students on English, physics and biology programmes of study were compared using a closed-form…

Schools today are more data rich than ever, requiring staff members to develop their data literacy--that is, their knowledge of how to use assessment data with other types of data to identify areas of effectiveness and to target instructional improvement efforts. Administrators and teachers are expected to use combinations of data (diagnostic and…

Organizing the work of instructional improvement around a process that has specific, manageable steps helps educators build confidence and skill in using data. A process that includes eight distinct steps can take school leaders to use their assessment data effectively, and organized these steps into three phases: Prepare, Inquire, and Act. The…

A limited amount of research has examined the relationship between characteristics of police organizations and policing styles. In particular, few studies have examined the link between organizational structures and police officer arrest decisions. Wilson's (1968) pioneering case study of police organizations suggested that individual police…

Teaching practice can improve if teachers are able to look at themselves and student data in an objective manner. In most education training programs, teachers are not taught to use data to design curriculum and analyze their instructional practices. They need training in both data management and analysis as well as in facilitating discussions…

Collaboration is considered a key to the survival of the school library media specialist in the 21st century school. It is a measure of a library media specialist's abilities and successes as an educator. It is a means for illustrating the need for a professional in the school's library media center during difficult times when trying to save…