This paper examines fiscal implications of five 1983 reports that recommend reform of America's schools. Greater rigor in curriculum and textbook content is a common report theme, while three call for specific graduation requirements. Generally, reports recommend increasing time for key courses and requiring regular homework, achievement tests,…

This research report is comprised of a series of 14 papers, each accompanied by a bibliography. Murnane's nine self-contained articles are grouped into four projects. The first consists of three papers that interpret the results of quantitative research on school effectiveness in a manner that highlights the active behaviors of participants and…

This report defines what is meant by quality basic education in Georgia and makes numerous recommendations for achieving it for all Georgians. The recommendations are that: (1) basic skills and general job skills be emphasized in vocational education; (2) the salary base for teachers be increased; (3) a five plateau teacher career ladder be…

The history of the school choice idea is briefly traced, and then some contemporary family choice models are examined in detail. "Tracking" was the major choice mechanism in public schools prior to recent efforts to expand the options. The alternative movement within individual schools began in the late 1960's, with many forms…

The aim of this paper is twofold. On one hand, to shed new light on the uneasy relationship of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) with foreign language (FL) pedagogy in the past and on the other, to explore the possible contribution of CALL to FL pedagogy. The first part of this research starts with a brief description of the first CALL…

This paper investigates the nature of the mismatch caused by culture-based differences in perceptions and expectations of L2 teaching and learning style preferences between Irish English teachers and Chinese students. A survey was conducted which included a questionnaire, interview and class observation at two language institutes in Dublin,…

This paper reports the findings from a pilot study that investigated the uses of computer-mediated communication in an educational psychology course for pre-service teachers that focused on problem-based learning via CD-ROM-based case analysis. Thirty-nine pre-service teachers and eight practicing teachers participated in the development of an…

Differences in Iowa Tests of Basic Skills scores were compared between Rhode Island fourth and eighth graders, and between parochial and public school students. This final report is organized in four major sections, plus appendices. The interviewing component activities are described in the first section, and clustered under six areas: convening…

Previous work by Grannis and Jackson suggested that teachers, learners, feedback sources, instructional sequencing, material format, or other variables may exercise control over the learning environment. It was suggested that the behavioral structure of a classroom can be described in terms of a knowledge dimension, a social dimension, and an…

A report is presented of the objectives, planning, and development of the Minneapolis public schools' multi-ethnic curriculum project. The document is presented in four sections. Section I examines the change in attitudes toward ethnic diversity and explores the responsibility of educators to transmit respect for and encouragement of cultural…

The document presents papers, critiques, and discussion from a colloquium in Philadelphia in April, 1978, dealing with citizen education in the United States from 1795 to 1975. The colloquium was the first stage of a project by Research for Better Schools (RBS) to formulate guidelines for citizen education. The document is presented in two major…

The child's conceptual field is expanded from his world of the classroom and family to the school as a whole in this teacher's guide to a bilingual social studies unit. Instructional and assessment activities for kits 9 through 12, each requiring up to three weeks, are contained in this Spanish-English guide. For each activity, its focus,…

A rationale and methodology for the use of student perceptions in educational decision making, and specifically in the area of curriculum, are presented. Four sections of the paper present ways in which student perceptions may be used: to describe and compare school environments, to compare perceptions of student subgroups within the same…

THIS STUDY ASSESSES JOB CORPS CURRICULUM AND FACILITIES FOR BASIC ORIENTATION AND EDUCATION OF UNEMPLOYED, DISADVANTAGED, POORLY MOTIVATED YOUTH, AND REVIEWS TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR WELFARE RECIPIENTS IN SANTA CLARA AND ALAMEDA COUNTIES, CALIFORNIA. OBSERVATIONS OF SELECTED JOB CORPS CENTERS REVEALED SUPERIOR PHYSICAL FACILITIES BUT LESS THAN…

This third-party evaluation report, presented in six sections, begins with an introductory section on the procedures used to evaluate the Bilingual Human Services Educational Consortium. (The consortium, a one-year college level program, prepares underemployed and unemployed Franco-Americans for paraprofessional human service jobs.) Also described…