About 9,000 students in grades 4, 8, and 12 participated in three writing excersises: (1) directed--short passage in response to a specific request; (2) global--extended narrative or exposition on a broad topic; and (3) proofreading and editing. The exercises reflected writing tasks required of the average adult as a citizen worker or creative…

This mongraph describes and analyzes the competing demands of many citizens, special interest groups, and organizations for educational equity. The significant role that the Federal government has played in the educational system over the past 30 years through financing and legislation is discussed. Four case studies are presented relating to…

The book contains 20 essays which provide an overview of the state of the art in various areas of anthropology, including applied anthropology, archaeology, physical anthropology, ethnology, linguistics, and social anthropology. Most of the authors are professors and researchers from departments of anthropology or linguistics in United States…

Eleven essays explore the educational effects of social forces and agencies outside of the formal school environment. Speakers at the 1977 Chief State School Officers' Institute examined how these social forces can be used to enhance the work of the American school system. Speakers represented schools of education, research institutes, media…

This selected bibliography has included works that are both familiar and unfamiliar to researchers in the field. Doctoral theses have been excluded to control the size of this document. Many entries are annotated. The table of contents is organized both topically (political development, education, agriculture, social development, economic…

"Backgrounds in Language," a field-tested inservice course designed for use by groups of 15 or 25 language arts teachers, provides the subject matter background teachers need to make informed decisions about what curriculum materials to use in what way, at what time, and with which students. The course is comprised of eight 2-hour sessions,…

This document contains sample test items from the Florida College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST), an achievement test that measures communication and computation skills that students should have acquired on completing their sophomore year in college. The sample items in this document test the set of skills that were revised in September 1990…

Discusses the strong educational role of mass media in the Soviet Union. Articles cover "Controlling Individual Development and Behavior,""The Educational Potential of the Mass Media,""Some Problems of Ideological Work and the Tasks of Psychology," plus discussion of books, television, the press, films, and the…

Posits that educational controversies are, in the long run, necessary to the enlightenment of American culture. Traces some representative events in the history of educational controversy; suggests some ways for educators to achieve equal footing with those who critize them. (CSS)

Reports on the rationale and processes behind the composition and evaluation of the Advanced Placement European History examination, focusing special attention on changes introduced in 1994. Discusses reasons for adding an additional thematic essay for the 1994 test. (CFR)

America's leading historian of education recounts a lifetime in the cause of responsible school reform. Diane Ravitch's blow-by-blow description of run-ins with Afrocentrist firebrand Leonard Jeffries, misguided feminists at the AAUW, the language sensitivity police, and others offers a fascinating perspective on how the education establishment…

This book for college faculty provides a resource for developing, using, and grading classroom exams. The first chapter addresses ways to determine what content should be included on an exam. The second chapter identifies testing considerations such as number of exams, difficulty level of items, and test length. Chapters 3 and 4 provide guidelines…

This book presents a collection of essays that reflect the experiences of educators who have responded to the challenges of cultural diversity on their campuses or within their educational regions. Essays examine instructional strategies, curriculum issues, and creating the climate for change. Essay titles and their authors are as follows:…

Students with high scores (top third) on the essay portion of an Advanced Placement Examination (AP) (College Board) and low scores (bottom third) on the multiple-choice portion of the same examination were compared with students whose performance showed the opposite pattern. Across examinations in different subject areas (history, English, and…

This individualized learning package on test item construction as a component of evaluation is designed for the undergraduate student in teacher education programs. The hierarchy of learning levels on which the package rests is that of B. Bloom's (1956) taxonomy of learning. The premises are that higher order learning is significant and desirable…