Educational reform movements, university teacher education accreditation requirements and federal laws have increased the emphasis on the need for beginning teacher follow-up studies. The information gained from beginning teachers is critical for university teacher preparation programs, state departments of education, and school districts in…

The development of entrepreneurial skills and knowledge is a priority for governments that want to encourage an innovative and enterprising society. Furthermore, education institutions are becoming increasingly required by employers to produce graduates that have practical, real-world skills. Business plan competitions, although primarily aimed at…

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's Graduate Education Initiative (GEI) provided funding to 54 departments in the humanities and related social sciences during the 1990s to improve their PhD programs. This article estimates the aspects of PhD programs the GEI influenced and how these aspects influenced attrition and graduation probabilities. It uses…

There has been a dearth of studies on teacher educators using action research to improve their own practice. This book is the first systematic study of a group of teachers examining and enhancing their own practice through the inquiry process of action research. This book presents a broad overview of a variety of methodologies that can be used to…

This document is intended to assist State Education Agency (SEA) and Lead Agency (LA) staff and technical assistance providers in designing a meaningful evaluation for the State Performance Plan (SPP)/Annual Performance Report (APR) improvement activities. It provides: (1) information about the relevance of evaluation in the context of improvement…

Over the past 20 years, home visitation has emerged as the flagship program through which many states and communities are reaching out to new parents.The presence of bills to advance home visitation in Congress and in state and local legislatures, and the fact that several states and counties are moving forward with comprehensive plans and…

"The Program Evaluation Standards," established by 16 professional associations, identify evaluation principles that should result in improved program evaluations that address utility, propriety, feasibility, and accuracy. This digest summarizes these standards. Guidelines and illustrative cases to assist in meeting these standards are…

This document analyzes the inspection reports of the five further education (FE) colleges in Britain that have achieved a grade of 1 for quality assurance (QA), identifies key lessons for the improvement of programs in other FE colleges, and refers to helpful FE publications. The five colleges consisted of two general FE colleges, one sixth-form…

Stakeholders in Taiwan's process for reviewing and approving senior vocational school (SVS) textbooks were surveyed to identify ways of improving the process. The questionnaire contained items examining respondents' demographic characteristics, their opinions of Taiwan's existing SVS textbook review and approval process, and suggestions for…

This study assessed the state of intramural-recreational (IR) programs at Peru State College (Nebraska) and offered suggestions for the improvement of existing IR programs. The existing IR sports program is directed by a part-time adjunct staff member with the aid of student assistants and receives limited support. Upgrading the directorship of…

The Indiana Free Library Literacy Program had two major goals during Fiscal Year 1989: to maintain and expand the present services and to extend the existing literacy program. Tutors were recruited through public service announcements and extensive free coverage in the Indiana Gazette. Four tutor training workshops were held to train 40 new…

These hearings transcripts present testimony concerning the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education (ESA) Act, which, since 1965, has provided the bulk of federal aid to elementary and secondary schools and related programs. Much of the testimony was from Vermont education officials, school administrators, teachers, consultants,…

The fundamental question for those concerned with high quality services for people with severe disabilities is how resources can best be used to assist these individuals to live better lives. The question of how to assist in creation of better lives tests and builds leadership. Leadership involves mobilizing people's resources to make progress on…

This report summarizes discussions from two round-table seminars exploring federal programs that affect children and families. Ideas presented in this report are organized around five topics: (1) symptoms of fragmented federal programs for children and families; (2) why coordinated services for children and families are so rare; (3) what Congress…

This document contains a summary of the statement of Clarence C. Crawford, Associate Director, Education and Employment Issues, Human Resources Division of the U.S. General Accounting Office. The Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) provides on-the-job training (OJT). Under OJT arrangements, employers provide training in a particular occupation for…