Item parameter estimates vary for a variety of reasons, including estimation error, characteristics of the examinee samples, and context effects (e.g., item location effects, section location effects, etc.). Although we expect variation based on theory, there is reason to believe that observed variation in item parameter estimates exceeds what…

This paper examines the literature in the growing field of education and inequality that is concerned with how individuals sort, and the consequences of this knowledge for the accumulation of human capital, equity, efficiency, and welfare. It argues that how individuals sort across neighborhoods, schools, and households (spouses) can have…

In this California state curriculum model for grade 1, "A Child's Place in Time and Space," students study the life, work, and philosophy of Cesar Chavez. The students learn how he worked to resolve problems peacefully. They discover how his cultural experiences influenced his politics, family life, education, philosophy, recreational…

In this California state curriculum model for grade 2, "People Who Make a Difference," students study Cesar Chavez. The students learn about his role in improving the lives of farm workers. They also learn about Chavez as a family man, about the role religion played in his life, and about his role as an organizer, as a labor leader, and…

In this California state curriculum model for grade 3, "Continuity and Change," students study Cesar Chavez. The students learn about his relationship with immigrants, about his work with Fred Ross, and about his work in his own community. Students explore his work as a civil rights leader and labor organizer and the connection between…

In this California state curriculum model for grade 4, "California: A Changing State," students study the history and development of California from earliest times to the present. The curriculum emphasizes the role of immigration, the development of California's economy, agriculture and infrastructure, its geography and the contributions…

In this California state curriculum model for grade 12, "Principles of American Democracy," students study the life of Cesar E. Chavez. The students observe the direct relationship between his work and political philosophy and the U.S. political and legal system. Students examine how Chavez's ideas and actions are a blueprint for active…

This study investigated factors that helped students of color enrolled in multicultural educator programs succeed academically, focusing on resiliency factors that supported their academic success (defined as college graduation or current enrollment at the sophomore level or higher). First an initial focus group with several minority students…

During the 1999-2000 program year, the Division of Economic and Workforce Development attempted to further the North Carolina Community College System's (NCCCS) tradition of excellence by modeling key strategies of the business sector. These strategies included: (1) Economies of scale, a term that refers to unit cost decreasing as number of units…

The Strong Beginnings program, initiated by the Save the Children Fund in 1991, supports community-based activities in 20 countries aimed at reconstructing educational systems in developing countries. This report presents the vision of the Strong Beginnings program, describes its components, and describes the continuing challenge to improve access…

This paper argues that community college models, especially in developing countries, can be victims of the vocational school fallacy, which holds that that two-year vocational/technical schools that ignore a general education foundation may not be an optimal means for solving worker needs. In addition, globalization has hastened a mirroring of the…

This guide is designed to provide a framework and sequence for working jointly with adult learners to confirm their disability, assess their functional needs, select appropriate accommodations, provide instruction for using accommodations, and monitor accommodation effectiveness. In addition to procedural information, the guide contains instructor…

The Instructional Support Team (IST) process is an intensive building-based pre-referral intervention program using teams of teachers and other school professionals to assist elementary students experiencing difficulty in the classroom. This trainer's manual outlines a 3-day workshop for team training. The schedule for each day is provided, with a…

In the late 1990s the Texas Education Agency advocated the transformation of all counseling services into developmental guidance programs. This document describes the process undertaken and the lessons learned when evaluating a small, rural school district in north Texas in order to begin this model transformation. The purpose of the study was to…

The integration of technology into adult literacy promises both exciting and problematic times, especially with regard to curriculum evaluation. Different evaluation approaches have various strengths and weaknesses. A particular strength of the adversarial approach is a well-rounded evaluation with both positives and negatives identified; its main…