Describes programs developed by the Chicago School District to renovate and revitalize its school libraries. Topics include funding, other educational reforms in the district, updating library collections, updating librarians' skills, increasing budgets through grants, flexible scheduling, corporate support, relations with the Chicago Public…

Qualitative analysis of a large ethnographic database from observations of a resident teaching clinic revealed three important findings. The first finding was that breakdown, a situation where an "actor" (such as a person or the group) is not achieving expected effectiveness, was the most important category because of its frequency and explanatory…

In this article, the authors describe the Georgetown University Consortium Project (GCP), a three-year assessment study designed to document the learning abroad of students from Georgetown University, The University of Minnesota, Rice University, and Dickinson College. Funded by two Department of Education Title VI grants, this ongoing three-year…

Presbyterian Ladies College (PLC) is a 130-year-old independent girls' school in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Teaching students from ages 4 to 18, PLC has a reputation for academic excellence. Geography is a separate subject taught as a part of the core curriculum in the secondary school. The College, which uses principally Macintosh…

In this paper, we conceptualize and develop an index of sociodemographic risk that we hypothesize will be an improvement over the standard poverty measure as a measure of risk for children's development. The poverty line is widely used in government statistics and in research but is also widely acknowledged to have multiple shortcomings. Using…

This fact sheet summarizes data gathered in the 2008 survey of National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grant recipients. Conducted by The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University, this was the ninth annual survey of ATE projects and centers. Included here are statistics about the program's grantees and…

This descriptive study investigated the benefits and costs of using electronic portfolios (EPs) in preservice teacher education. Grounded within change theory, the study examined the perspectives of faculty in six programs in which EPs have been used on a large scale for two or more years. Benefits identified include increased opportunities for…

Historically, faith-based organizations (FBOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) have been involved in the provision of social services, such as drug treatment, job training, community redevelopment, housing, and education. However, FBOs and CBOs have not often participated in U.S. Department of Education (the Department) grant programs. In…

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…