What will it take to bring about dramatic improvements in the performance of California's education system? The fact is, everyone does not know. California does not know how to collect the kind of educational data that would allow it to accurately measure the performance of schools and students, or to evaluate the effectiveness of different…

Every year, the Improving Teacher Quality State Grants Program issues a Request for Proposals (RFP) to award funds provided annually from the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In recent years, each RFP has focused on a specific objective tied to state priorities in teacher quality. Six grants were awarded in 2008: (1) Bell Gardens Science…

This report provides a plan that teachers and school supervisors can use to implement seven tips for improving instructional skills. Designed to be referred to regularly, it includes three levels of implementation, as well as recommendations for utilizing technology to support each tip. The seven recommendations include: (1) Use technology to help…

Researchers in the Boston University Department of Environmental Health conducted a case study of the Boston Schoolyard Initiative, a project that provides funds and technical support to community groups dedicated to renovating schoolyards in Boston. Researchers described the process by which the Boston Schoolyard Initiative came into being and…

The lines between academic study and career and technical skills training are blurring. State and national leaders are beginning to recognize the transformational potential career and technical education (CTE) offers for such issues as secondary-postsecondary transitions, remediation, and the drop-out problem. At the national level, the National…

Organizational difficulties are major obstacles for many students with learning and behavior problems. These students often neglect to separate notebooks into various subject areas, forget to bring necessary items to class, and stuff assignments randomly into their book bags and pockets. Students' disorganization, including their inability to keep…

A four-year faculty development program to enhance geriatrics learning among house officers in seven surgical and related disciplines and five medical subspecialties at a large academic institution resulted in changes in attitudes and knowledge of faculty participants, expanded curricula and teaching activities in geriatrics, and enhanced and…

This annual journal contains nine articles dealing with business education in Louisiana and elsewhere. The articles "Word Processing Competencies: Which Ones Are Really Necessary?" (Patricia Lynn Anderson, Mary Alice Griffin) and "English Basics Were Developed in Shorthand--Why Not in Keyboarding?" (Clora Mae Baker, Marcia A.…

In 1995, efforts to develop Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system focused on implementing Australia's first national strategy for VET, Towards a Skilled Australia. All stakeholders in VET worked to advance Australia's national strategy for VET, which revolved around the following four themes: responsiveness (maximizing…

This annual performance report describes accomplishments achieved in Colorado through funding from the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act. Four sections focus on four categories of initiatives. Section I addresses enhancement of services to students through the basic state grant under Title II, Part A. Vocational education opportunities are…

This policy paper is part of the plan for achieving universal literacy in New York State. It acknowledges accomplishments in creating a statewide network of public and private providers, in public financing, and in the public recognition of literacy's importance; it then examines what must be done to further meet literacy needs. The proposed…

This performance report summarizes New Hampshire's use of federal vocational education funds for fiscal year 1991. Three sections on vocational education opportunities correspond to the categories of Carl D. Perkins Act funds: accomplishments under Title II-A; accomplishments in program improvement under Title II-B; and accomplishments in special…

Designed to assist local colleges/districts in assessing their existing home economics program, and in developing curricula that respond to the changing needs of students, communities, and the workforce, this plan presents the program guidelines of the California Community Colleges (CCCs). Introductory material describes the history of the program…

This document contains task force findings and recommendations regarding development of a statewide plan for facilitating education and employment transitions (EET) of youths and adults throughout Minnesota. Chapter 1 presents a rationale for a statewide EET system in the context of the employment/earnings patterns of Minnesota youths and adults,…

Historically, vocational education has been targeted at those destined for nonprofessional work, and vocational teachers, administrators, and students have become isolated from the mainstream of secondary education. Research has found broader student participation in vocational education than anticipated, the numbers peaked in 1984 and now are…