Many states are struggling to finance under-funded teacher pension systems as well as recruit and retain a high-quality teaching workforce. This paper compares Maryland's former (prior to Spring, 2006) teacher pension system to those in Pennsylvania and several other states. On the basis of simple replacement rates, the former Maryland state plan…

Student-centered approach of scoring the concept maps consisted of three elements namely symbol system, individual portfolio and scoring scheme. We scored student-constructed concept maps based on 5 concept map criteria: validity of concepts, adequacy of propositions, significance of cross-links, relevancy of examples, and interconnectedness. With…

"Pocket Projections" provide National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) information on projected enrollments at all education levels, numbers of high school graduates, earned degrees conferred, teachers, and expenditures. In addition, there is a state-level figure on public elementary and secondary enrollment. Each year, NCES…

Despite substantial research on children's literacy performance outside school, relatively few studies have examined the classroom context of writing development, and even fewer have considered the relationship between general classroom discourse and writing. This paper presents an ecological framework for studying the relation between classroom…

This publication presents library contact information and statistics for Alabama public libraries for fiscal year 1996 (October 1, 1995-September 30, 1996). The library directory is arranged by type of library: public libraries, single-county public library systems, multi-county public library systems, and multitype library systems. Entries…

This report contains data on state library agencies in the 50 states and the District of Columbia for state fiscal year 1996. The data were collected through the State Library Agencies (STLA) Survey, the product of a cooperative effort between the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, the United States National Commission on Libraries and…

This document presents data from 118 U.S. and Canadian research libraries that were members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) during the 1997-98 fiscal year. Since 1987-88, the number of preservation programs managed by a preservation administrator has grown irregularly from 66 to around 80 in more recent years. A fluctuating growth…

This report provides summary information about the publicly funded vocational education and training (VET) sector in Australia for the year 2000 and, to a lesser extent, 1999. Information is provided for Australia as a whole, for states and territories, and for majors and fields of study. The following information is reported: (1) 1.75 million…

The first volume of the 24th annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education includes plenary addresses, plenary panel discussions, research forum, project groups, discussion groups, short oral communications, and poster presentations. (ASK)

The fourth volume of the 24th annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education contains full research report papers. Papers include: (1) "What are essential to apply the 'discovery' function of proof in lower secondary school mathematics?" (Mikio Miyazaki); (2) "The anatomy of an 'open'…

This report summarizes fall 1995 student enrollment in credit classes on the official census date (45th day of classes) at Pima Community College (PCC) in Arizona. The number of students (head count) and full-time student equivalents (FTSE) are categorized by campus and the time of day students attend classes. Comparisons with head count and FTSE…

Data collection and analysis are frequently neglected by school leaders over the course of the decision-making process. All schools gather large amounts of information about students and teachers, but most data are used to satisfy administrative requirements rather than evaluate school improvement in a systematic fashion. Apprehension regarding…

A college statistics class for limited-English-speaking Hispanic students and students with disabilities incorporates principles of problem-based learning. Sessions start with brainstorming in which real-life problems are presented to raise issues, encourage participation, and generate enthusiasm. Using negotiation, the issues generated in the…

This paper studied the usefulness of differential item functioning (DIF) methodology for examining potential mode effects. Although the goal was not to validate the comparability of the assessments per se, it is of interest to speculate why some formats could give rise to differential performance. Data were obtained from two instruments on which…

This document presents data from 122 U.S. and Canadian research libraries that were members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) during the 1999-2000 fiscal year. Since 1987-88, the number of preservation programs managed by a preservation administrator has grown irregularly from 66 to around 80 in more recent years. A fluctuating growth…