Over the course of their kindergarten through twelfth grade education, children in American public schools will spend the equivalent of one school year under the guidance of a substitute teacher. Yet in most districts, substitutes are given the keys to the classroom without a day's training. While requirements vary by state, some may hold advanced…

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, nearly 4 in 10 fourth graders read below the basic level. These literacy problems get worse as students advance through school and are exposed to progressively more complex concepts and courses. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of four remedial reading programs…

A study explored which nonexperimental comparison group methods provide the most accurate estimates of the impacts of mandatory welfare-to-work programs and whether the best methods work well enough to substitute for random assignment experiments. Findings were compared for nonexperimental comparison groups and statistical adjustment procedures…

The 1998 High School Transcript Study (HSTS) provides the U.S. Department of Education and other policymakers about current course offerings and students' course taking patterns. In 1998 the nationally representative sample for the HSTS included 25,422 students graduating in 1994 from 264 high schools. Approximately 94% of the sampled students…

Data from Project Talent are utilized to assess the representativeness of the samples used in the Wisconsin and the Exploration in Equality of Opportunity (EEO) surveys. Adequacy of the measures of academic aptitude and aspiration used in the surveys are examined, and problems with the Wisconsin model are briefly discussed. (RM)

An analysis of the Wisconsin model of achievement asks how powerful this model is in accounting for social influences, aspirations, and attainment when measurement error is taken into account. Revised estimates show support for the Wisconsin model. A revised model is even more powerful for explaining educational and occupational achievement.…

Considers the problems inherent in researching changes in social values and individual perspectives among selected age groups. Asserts that studies aimed at researching both aspects need to be organized as longitudinal studies. Utilizes data taken from a study of East and West Berlin adolescents to reveal specific research problems. (MJP)

This article discusses concerns with the No Child Left Behind definition of scientifically based research and its preference for random-assignment experiments from a single/within subject research perspective. A comprehensive program of research that can focus on the bridging the gap between research and practice is proposed. (CR)

This article reviews previous studies of the effects of implicit and explicit corrective feedback on SLA, pointing out a number of methodological problems. It then reports on a new study of the effects of these two types of corrective feedback on the acquisition of past tense -ed. In an experimental design (two experimental groups and a control…

This study aimed to find out how and on what level the students of two separate secondary schools shared and constructed knowledge on imperialism by interacting through historical role characters in a Web-based environment. Furthermore, the study aimed to find out how social and contextual features affected the nature of knowledge sharing and…

The press for the professionalization of teachers is based on the assertion that a strengthened profession will more effectively meet students' needs and improve the overall quality of education. This volume, the third in a series of three, explains the research and design of a study that examined the design, implementation, and impact of systemic…

The material provides a comprehensive look at the design, goals, and methods to be used in the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Civics Assessment. This assessment will attempt to gauge the civic knowledge and skills of the nation's 4th, 8th, and 12th grade students. To do well on the assessment, students will have to show…

The Community College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CCSEQ) is an instrument designed to determine how community college students spend their time and what quality of effort they put into learning. Specifically, the content of the questionnaire focuses on four elements: who students are and why they are at the college; how extensively and…

The 1994 High School Transcript Study (HSTS) provides the Department of Education and other policymakers with information about current course offerings and students' course-taking patterns in the nation's secondary schools. One objective was to determine changes in course offering and selection patterns since the previous studies in 1982, 1987,…

These proceedings contain 15 papers presented at a conference that included three general sessions and concurrent sessions for task forces on international adult education, computers, research, instructional improvement, self-directed learning, human resources development, and theory building. Some papers appear only as summarized versions. Titles…