The high prevalence of kith and kin child care for infants and toddlers, coupled with research evidence suggesting cause for concern about quality in these settings, points to a critical need for policies and programs to support kith and kin caregivers in providing quality care. A number of state and local agencies are exploring strategies for…

This document introduces the Student Teacher Accountability Reporting System (STARS), the educational data collection and reporting model selected by the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) to improve the quality and timeliness of data, analysis, and information in meeting increased reporting and analysis requirements. The STARS model…

This publication contains the following: (1) Competency-Based Transfer Pilot Project--Final Report. Executive Summary (January 2006); and (2) Competency-Based Transfer Pilot Project: Final Report on House Bill 1909 (January 2005). In 2003, the legislature and governor enacted House Bill 1909 to create a pilot project on competency-based transfer…

At the Orange County Public School District in Orlando, Florida, assessing reading skills among the youngest students used to be quite a process. Relying on rudimentary products such as paper and pencils, the strategy hinged on the bubble sheets teachers administered to students once a year. After teachers scored the exams, they sent them to the…

School districts discover that the secret to implement a good laptop program is to find a good partner. This article features educational partnerships that provide tools and support districts need to roll out successful laptop programs. At Cincinnati Country Day School district administrators joined with Toshiba and a solution provider to provide…

In this paper we present findings from two studies focusing on computer algebra system (CAS) calculators. In Victoria, Australia, it is currently mandatory for students to use graphics calculators in some grade 12 mathematics examinations. Since 2001, a pilot study has been conducted involving Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) students…

Recent reform in the Hong Kong senior secondary education has awakened the need for a balanced and comprehensive learning experience in the academic, vocational, organizational, social service, arts and sports domains to prepare students for employment, for learning and for life. Following on from its recommendation, the Education and Manpower…

Ancient Chinese mathematics has been the focus of many research studies and scholarly works from a historical perspective. However, no move has been made to investigate its role in the teaching and learning of mathematics. This pilot study examined the effects of an Ancient Chinese Mathematics Enrichment Programme (ACMEP) on the academic…

The importance of a smooth transition into school for children who have received Early Intervention Services (EI) but have not received the Ongoing Reviewable Resource Scheme (ORRS) funding has become of increasing concern to stakeholders involved with these children. The EI and School Focus (SF) teams of the GSE in Pakuranga collaborated…

Lessons from a pilot introduction of environmental education into a teacher education programme designed to address pupil disengagement from school science, are discussed in this paper. Pre-service teachers discovered that environmental education can be a potent context for creativity and continuity in curriculum planning. Interpretation of the…

Most studies on reusable digital learning materials, learning objects (LOs), relate to their use in universities. Few empirical studies exist to explore the impact of LOs on pedagogy, especially in schools. This paper provides evidence from an evaluation of the use of LOs in schools. The evidence is from a European Union-funded project, Context…

Former Baltimore cop and teacher Ed Burns isn't a masochist. The writer-producer for "The Wire," a critically applauded HBO series about life and death on the streets of Baltimore, is just feverishly trying to save public schools. He thinks American education is hopelessly screwed up, but that it's also the country's only hope. So it…

This article describes the development of an English spelling measure designed to assess the progress made by Spanish-English bilingual children from Grade 2 to Grade 5. Different stages of developing the measure are described, such as selecting the focus features, the prepilot and pilot phases, and the operational version. Two underlying…

On January 23, 2004, President Bush signed the DC School Choice Incentive Act into law. This landmark piece of legislation included $14 million in funding for what would come to be called the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP). The OSP is the first federally funded K-12 scholarship program in the country and is designed to provide…

In April 2004, the Governor's Commission on Higher Education and the Economy (CHEE) recommended that the Ohio Board of Regents submit a biennial report to the Governor and the General Assembly in connection with the budget process. This report is the second such report. The purposes of this report are to provide policy makers and the public with…