Extra classes have been a fixture in the educational system in India. They pre-date all existing educational programmes and examinations. Yet more recently the justification and reasons for the maintenance of these classes have been called into question. There have been unsubstantiated claims that in some cases the classes have been…

Program assessment is now commonplace at most colleges and universities and is required for accreditation of specific degree programs. Key aspects of program assessment include program improvement, improved student learning, and adequate student preparation for the workforce. Thus, program assessment is a key ingredient to program health. Although…

This report presents the findings from the third wave of a longitudinal study to investigate perceptions of administrative burden among providers of children's education and care services. The study reveals a number of positive findings including consistently high levels of support for the National Quality Framework (NQF) and a significant decline…

In response to current accountability, program evaluation, and accreditation pressures, educator preparation programs are implementing electronic assessment systems (EAS). The EAS provides a means of systematic, reliable, and valid procedures for the purpose of collecting and summarizing teacher candidate performance and program data. The purpose…

In 1 state's Part C early intervention (EI) program, families are afforded a unique opportunity to connect with parent educators (PEs), parents of children who have received EI services, and who are trained to support EI families and staff with a range of tailored duties. In an effort to continually reflect and improve upon the role of PEs, the…

This feature has told stories of high school physical educators who have refused to accept the status quo of high school physical education programs. They have identified problems, initiated innovations in their own classes, implemented changes beyond their classes, and moved toward institutionalizing improvements throughout their programs and…

Since Head Start's last reauthorization in 2007, the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Head Start, has implemented significant reforms that are improving the program. In "Renewing Head Start's Promise: Invest in What Works for Disadvantaged Preschoolers," Sara Mead offers several recommendations to enable…

This study was an evaluation of the career services component of TRIO Student Support Services at a Midwestern university. The problem in the local setting was the absence of empirical evidence demonstrating compliance of TRIO career services with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Professional Standards for College and…

Web 2.0 technologies, such as wikis, can play a key role in promoting interaction, delivering education and providing communication between students. However, most of the existing literature does not seem to consider relationships between designing wiki-based learning activities and the student acceptance of this technology. The purpose of the…

Students who fall behind in credits in their first years of high school are at risk of not graduating. William Penn High School (WPHS) offers students who fail courses the opportunity to make up lost credits by using an online option called the WPHS Credit Recovery Program. The WPHS Credit Recovery Program is designed to keep students on the path…

Students who struggle to read on grade level by the end of third grade are less likely to make academic progress and graduate before the age of 19. The district leaders in a suburban district in Texas were interested in determining the root cause of stagnant reading standardized test scores. After determining the root cause, a lack of a…

Alphacrucis College, Australia, has developed a Clinical Teaching Model (CTM) as an option within the initial teacher-training awards. The Alphacrucis College model intentionally combines the pre-service teachers' spiritual formation with their professional development. This article reports on an evaluation of the CTM students' experience compared…

At many higher education institutions, admissions decisions often rely on standardized test scores and high school grades; yet, they are less reliable predictors for applicants falling slightly below cutoff points, what we call borderline applicants. Since borderline applicants are often from underrepresented backgrounds and diverted to 2-year…

This dissertation is comprised of three essays exploring the performance of students on standardized tests in public schools. Since the passage of the "No Child Left Behind Act" (NCLB) in 2002, public schools have been subject to penalties for poor student achievement. In particular, NCLB requires states to measure reading and math test…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Obama Administration Releases ESEA [Elementary and Secondary Education Act] Blueprint: Proposal to Overhaul NCLB [No…