Launched in 2008, the Strategic Data Project, housed at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, seeks to bridge the divide between educational research and practice in order to transform the use of data in education to improve student achievement. Through the project, the authors build robust research partnerships with…

To learn more about states' experiences with implementing school improvement grants (SIGs) funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Center on Education Policy (CEP) administered a survey to state Title I directors. (Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provides federal funds to schools in low-income…

Poverty in the US is growing at an alarming rate. The current economic climate demands higher education to embrace the economic diversity of all students and to prepare them, regardless of economic class, for a globally competitive workplace. Unfortunately, the higher education community is not as adept at serving low-income students, as it is…

In most parts of the world today, the goal of providing all children with free and Universal Primary Education (UPE) has received broad national and international support and some educational systems have evolved from predominantly "fee-charging" towards "fee-free" status in recent times. In Ghana, for example, the endorsement…

Most executives have not heard of human performance technology (HPT), but a recent Google search showed 25 times more Google hits for "lean six sigma" than for "human performance technology." This article describes five factors that make HPT a hard sell: (1) HPT is not part of standard business jargon, (2) organizational executives associate…

This study examined the average effects of schools' third through fifth grade gifted programming policy in mathematics and reading on overall school achievement, on gifted students' achievement and academic attitudes and on nongifted students' achievement and academic attitudes. Data and results represent a broad, national look at school…

Through this study the authors evaluate outcomes associated with the use of handheld computers by interventionists in improving the efficiency of direct systematic classroom observation. Information from observations is used by interventionists for treatment planning and evaluation. In this study, interventionists were trained to use personal…

In 1994, Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC), in Virginia, revised its general education and major assessment routines to include indirect measures, such as graduate and employer surveys, with direct Academic Profile testing. This report describes LFCC's first full cycle of assessment under the new routines carried out from 1993 to 1995.…

This document contains a record of the oral and written testimony of witnesses at a Chicago (Illinois) Congressional hearing on the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Training Program. Witnesses at the hearing included officials from various Illinois programs funded by the JOBS program, government officials, and unemployed persons. They…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the degree of self-efficacy preservice teachers developed as a result of participating in field experiences, types of field experiences that were the most beneficial for the professional development of the preservice teachers, and the degree to which pre-stated outcomes were addressed by the field…

This report reviews the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine and provides an analysis of the institution's strengths and weaknesses, along with recommendations to improve the college's programs. It examines the college's degree programs, students, faculty, facilities, and resources, as well as actions taken to meet…

This annual report provides an overview of Arapahoe Community College's (Colorado) efforts to improve undergraduate education and the success of those efforts as of 1993-94. After outlining changes made in the transfer, vocational education, and developmental studies programs, the report provides information on specific recommendations implemented…

This paper reviews the literature pertaining to Total Quality Management (TQM) and its application in educational settings, especially at institutions of higher education. The review is organized into the following topical areas: the concept of "quality" (usually involving customer satisfaction, executive-level leadership, and employee…

The causes and consequences of homelessness have been the subject of considerable social science research. This report details recovery from homelessness, or "exits from homelessness," through analysis of descriptive demographic data and correlation of success rates with participant behavior and intervention context. The 2-year…

Designed to help community colleges increase efficiency and make the best use of depleted funds, this monograph describes innovative and successful strategies currently in place at colleges to improve effectiveness. The innovative practices are organized into five broad categories approximating a "typical" community college's distribution of…