Many schools across the country face persistent teacher working condition challenges that are closely related to high teacher turnover rates and chronic difficulties in recruiting and retaining teachers. Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ) research examining working conditions survey results in both North Carolina and South Carolina demonstrates…

A "lifelong learning" orientation to education is seen as vital if young people are to thrive in the knowledge rich, constantly-changing world of today and the immediate future. This study identifies ways that the foundations for lifelong learning can be built in secondary schools. "Lifelong Learning" is interpreted as engaging…

The purpose of the present evaluation study was to examine the progress made in program implementation, school climate, and student achievement by Tennessee charter schools. Six evaluation questions guided the methodology for this study. Student achievement results are addressed in a separate report. The following evaluation questions are…

This report reflects ACT's commitment to assist colleges and universities to better understand the impact of campus practices on college student retention and degree completion. Survey findings indicate that: (1) Only 51.7% of campuses have identified an individual responsible for coordinating retention strategies; (2) Only 47.2% of campuses have…

This resource provides schools and jurisdictions with a sample framework and strategies for developing and/or supporting a culture of character and citizenship. The framework encourages individual schools to assess and put action plans in place to improve their cultures. It also looks at how character and citizenship education can be supported by…

Comprised of excerpts from the Responsive Classroom Newsletter, this book details practices for use during the beginning of the elementary school year to build a foundation for a successful school year. Chapter 1, "The First Six Weeks of School: Building the Foundation for a Successful Year" (Ruth Charney and Marlynn Clayton) introduces…

This action research project evaluated the impact of an intervention for reducing the inappropriate student behavior of primary school students. Participating were kindergartners in a large metropolitan area in northern Illinois. Inappropriate behaviors, such as physical aggression and using inappropriate words for self-expression, were documented…

This manual is intended for use by the Alberta, Canada, school boards, administrators, consultants, education staff, and other individuals involved in school building projects. The purpose of the School Capital Plan, funding, and Alberta Education's funding framework are detailed. The school building project components of the School Capital Plan…

This volume is an extension of earlier efforts by the National Center for Education Statistics to present and explain some patterns and relationships in education data. The report includes 34 educational indicators, which were selected in order to take advantage of state-level data available and national data sources and to present a fairly…

Noting that in recent years there has been an increase in the number of West Indian immigrants to the United States, this paper discusses factors affecting the acculturation of Jamaican immigrant children in the American educational system, highlighting factors relating to poor performance of these immigrant children. The paper first provides an…

An action research project described a program for improving prerequisite reading skills. The targeted population included students in a special education kindergarten and an at-risk first grade from declining urban schools located in a medium sized Midwestern city; and students in an at-risk prekindergarten program from a nearby middle class…

This case study of a program for Taiwanese students at Louisiana Tech University examined the challenges and rewards of working with international students. Data for the study come from the literature on international education, interviews with Taiwanese graduate students in the program, observations of classes, personal reflections of the…

The purpose of this study was to find what factors were associated with students' perceptions of learning in online courses. Survey data were collected from students enrolled in 78 courses offered through the SUNY (State University of New York) Learning Network in the fall of 1997. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were employed. The…

Canadian experts in diverse fields as well as people concerned about social justice and cohesion have identified quality child care as a crucial component in addressing a variety of broad societal goals. This study explored the relationships between child care center quality and: center characteristics; teaching staff wages and working conditions;…

The Southern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) is a consortium of ministries of education in southern Africa. This bound report--one of seven--presents the research results and policy suggestions that emerged from implementation of SACMEQ's initial educational policy research project. The report looks broadly at five…