Under the provisions of Title IB of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 (as amended), the Public Service Careers Plan B (PSC-B) program, funded by the U. S. Department of Labor, was designed to stimulate permanent employment opportunities for the disadvantaged and to encourage the upgrading of existing low-paid workers in agencies receiving…

The second year of effort in the development of a process evaluation system for the programs of the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Systems (NCIES) is reported. The activity involved the full-scale implementation of the system in 438 projects in 12 NCIES programs. Programs included are: Bilingual Education, Early Childhood,…

In order to determine the willingness of rural disadvantaged to participate in educational programs, 125 rural male Anglo and Mexican American household heads, both on and off welfare, were interviewed. The stratified sample was drawn from 4 Michigan counties. Based on findings from the 81 questions, these conclusions were made: Mexican Americans…

Many influential reviewers refuse to consider the central ideas and recommendations of Ravich and Finn in "What Do Our 17-Year Olds Know?" and Hirsch in "Cultural Literacy." One hopes this will not continue: the willingness of academicians to openly debate the problems and opportunities of improving our schools is crucial to…

Stark County is the 7th largest county in Ohio. In 2001 the researchers formed a P-16 Compact and began looking at the accomplishment of two goals: raising the high school graduation rate and increasing the number of students going from high school to college. Then as now, it was important for them to know the context of Stark County in Ohio and…

This report documents the Connecticut Department of Higher Education's efforts to investigate and document best practices in assessing student achievement as measured by workforce success. That effort is part of a five-state project to Define Best Practices for Responsible Accountability Models in Higher Education funded by a U.S. Department of…

The purpose of this guide is to provide a middle school literacy model, to describe practices and strategies of literacy education, and to assist school communities as they implement a balanced Turning Points literacy program that is responsive to the particular needs of middle school students. This guide includes: (1) the rationale for a Turning…

The 1998 High Schools That Work (HSTW) Assessment report contains good news for HSTW sites in the Appalachian Regional Commission area and provides information on specific practices that need improvement. This research brief summarizes the report's findings. Based on 196 schools in 9 Appalachian states, the report shows that school, district, and…

This tool was created in order to help young people and adults develop a common language for talking about how to improve schools. The tool provides educators, young people, administrators, policy makers, parents, community members and other stake holders with a common lens for reflecting on their schools and for planning change. It can also be…

This publication describes the school-improvement process in three schools participating in Middle Start, a comprehensive school-improvement program for schools with middle grades. Middle Start services, grounded in the Middle Start Principles and Practices, are tailored to a school's specific needs. The schools profiled are Bendle Middle School…

This paper describes the needs assessment activities that informed the design and development of M.Ed. and post-master's degree courses and programs to be delivered onsite and through distance technology support in rural areas. Two partner school systems participated in the needs assessment with three more currently involved in the programs.…

Literature linking self-concept and achievement, and evaluation research on educational programs to improve self-concept are analyzed in terms of several self-concept theories. Evidence for a causal connection between self-concept and achievement is negative. Researchers have failed to explore other theoretical approaches to educational change.…

Ten staff members of residential facilities for individuals with mental retardation were trained in self-monitoring procedures, to increase staff on-task behavior and adherence to scheduled activities. Increases in both on-schedule and on-task behavior resulted, and generalization to evening hours occurred. Supervisor feedback was subsequently…

Profiles Thomas F. Gilbert, a pioneer and influential leader in educational media and instructional technology, who is often cited as the founder of the field of performance technology. Discusses Gilbert's educational background and early interests, contributions to scholarship, awards, work as instructional-design consultant and performance…

Reviews key literature on rural education, 1974-98. Describes characteristics of rural schools and communities. Discusses the results of 100 years of efforts to urbanize and homogenize rural schools, and the question of whose interests should be served by rural schools. Examines ideas about the nature of appropriate rural school improvement, and…