This report provides an analysis of state policies to identify specific policy barriers to identification of gifted students and to locate states with model policies to facilitate the identification of underserved gifted students (culturally diverse, economically disadvantaged and students with disabilities). The analysis of each state's documents…

Inconsistencies in the definition of transfer from two-year to four-year institutions and in the calculation of the transfer rate have given rise to incongruous findings. For example, one researcher in 1989 reported a transfer rate of less than 12% for the colleges in Illinois at the same time that the Chancellor's Office of the California…

National- and state-level reports on education indicators have been produced since the mid-1980s. However, the debate continues over which education indicators to select and report. This paper outlines the lessons gained by a national organization in building an education indicators system through cooperation with state education agencies and…

Care must be taken to ensure that students in teacher preparation programs are prepared to benefit maximally from field experiences. A curriculum that provides prerequisite knowledge, contrived teaching experiences on campus, proper sequencing of experiences, and balance between formal instruction and field experience is needed. Clinical and…

The current wave of school reform, with its emphasis on the learner, affords the opportunity to create environments that can foster excellence. The ability to support the development of excellence is threatened by commonly held beliefs that excellence depends on innate ability and that anyone who works hard enough will succeed, irrespective of the…

This book gives middle school and secondary school teachers a comprehensive look at assessment, from definitions and history to practical suggestions and political implications. It explores the theory behind student-centered assessment and examines practical strategies teachers can use to bring about student-centered assessment in an educational…

This book synthesizes research findings on creativity and talent development. Part 1, "Definitions and Processes of Creativity," discusses the definition of creativity, creativity and psychology, federal definitions of giftedness and creativity, psychological research on creativity, traditional theories of the creative, common descriptions of the…

In 1990, a national survey was conducted of state directors of community and junior colleges regarding student transfer reporting and analysis. Responses were received from 45 of 50 states for a 90% response rate, although Maine and South Dakota were dropped from the study because they indicated that they did not have a community college system.…

This study analyzes the components of a proposed definition of independent living, in order to derive scales to be used to differentiate between groups with specific disabilities and between those with and without disabilities. The study was designed to facilitate identification of those areas of special needs that can be best addressed within the…

The relationship among various characteristics of evaluation studies and their overall quality was studied using all of the evaluation studies (N=366) conducted in Israel over 30 years on special projects for disadvantaged students at the elementary school level. The following variables were defined to describe each study: (1) evaluation…

This fact sheet on spina bifida is offered in both English and Spanish. It provides definitions of the three types of spina bifida (spina bifida occulta, meningocele, and myelomeningocele). Incidence figures are given as are typical characteristics of children with spina bifida. Educational implications are briefly noted, including the need to…

A Texas study on prekindergarten and early childhood care that was developed for the Texas legislature in response to an amendment of the Texas Education Code is presented. Also presented are findings on: (1) the developmental appropriateness of prekindergarten programs, defined here as programs for eligible 4-year-olds; (2) the potential for…

In the fall of 1989, the Intersegmental Coordinating Council organized the Data Needs Task Force (DNTF) to determine the feasibility of establishing a transfer rate definition. Specifically, the DNTF was charged with defining the information needed to strengthen intersegmental transfer programs, establishing common definitions (including…

This paper on identifying education outcomes for students with disabilities proposes a framework for applying an outcome-based approach throughout the education system, by looking at the needs of the three major levels of the system (local, state, and national); defining different uses for the term "outcome" in order to achieve consensus…

Issues surrounding funding programs and services for at-risk students are discussed. The introduction and Section I, "Issues Related to Financing Programs and Services for Students at Risk" (Suzanne L. Juday) identify some of the problems that must be addressed to provide adequate at-risk programs and services in an efficient and…