In this interview David Attenborough, the celebrated natural history film maker and writer, talks about his highly successful television series, "The Living Planet." Devoted to the exposition of the world's ecosystems, the film represents a significant example of popular geographic education. (RM)

Discusses the outcomes of an investigation into the motives and appreciation of autonomous language learners among students and staff of the Department of Individual Foreign Language Studies at the University of Amsterdam. The results showed so much variety that any conclusions or correlations were hard to make. (Author/SED)

Interviews with low-income parents revealed that they were aware of the class character of local schools and believed that high-income schools were superior. Ninety-four percent favored social class school desegregation, believing that their children would thereby obtain a better education and better preparation for social interaction in adult…

Seven articles on library reference services highlight reference obsolescence in academic libraries, major studies of unobtrusive reference tests, methods for evaluating reference desk performance, reference interview evaluation, problems of reference desk control, online searching by end users, and reference collection development in…

In this study the strategic constituent approach to organizational effectiveness was applied to a diagnostic program for handicapped children. Supervisors, clinicians, referring school professionals, and parents were interviewed, and resulting data was inductively categorized. A rating scale was designed and completed by internal constituents.…

Based on a comparison of criterion-based, checklist scoring of medical students' patient interviewing skills and the traditional method of faculty observation, it is suggested that the latter method is less reliable. (MSE)

The purpose of this report is to provide an evaluation of the experiences of the 2005-2006 pilot junior kindergarten schools. Data sources included administrative data provided by the Department of Education (DOE) as well as surveys and focus group interviews conducted with pilot school teachers and principals. Surveys were returned from 113…

Regardless of how well your students are scoring on standardized math tests, test scores can't tell you which aspects of your program are moving students from proficient to advanced and why some students are falling behind. To get a total picture of math learning, hundreds of schools in urban, suburban, and rural districts use the detailed,…

The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) has for the past four years conducted research on large-scale assessment and instructional issues for English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities, but neither NCEO's research nor any other research study has yet described large-scale assessment experiences at the local school level for…

Questions have been raised about whether parents with limited English proficiency are having difficulty accessing child care and early education programs for their children. Research suggests that quality early care experiences can greatly improve the school readiness of young children. GAO was asked to provide information on: (1) the…

This is the fourth in a series of reports from Reality Check 2006, an ongoing set of tracking surveys on education issues. Reality Check surveys attitudes among public school parents, students, teachers, principals and superintendents on a regular basis. In surveys on education, it is not uncommon for the public, parents and teachers to see…

"We the People... Project Citizen" is a civic education program for Taiwanese middle school students that promotes informed and responsible participation in local government. A study evaluated the effects of the program on the civic skills and dispositions of adolescent students, explored factors associated with its effectiveness, and…

In this video, former students and teachers recall their experiences in rural one-room schools in various regions. Just getting to school involved some hardship; anecdotes include experiences of walking, riding horses, driving snowmobiles or all-terrain vehicles, and canoeing to school. Students, teachers, and community members developed a…

The focus group method has rapidly gained credibility among researchers in many fields, including public health researchers. The increased use of focus groups by public health researchers has underscored the demonstrable need for the capacity to apply this method of research among populations with limited abilities in or cultural resistance to…

Data from two surveys were gathered to inform recommendations on how to increase women prisoners' employability upon release in Great Britain. The first survey focused on 567 inmates' work experience and training prior to and during incarceration, as well as their expectations for life outside prison. About 33% of the women worked immediately…