The National Diffusion Network provides a model for the adoption of outstanding educational programs. This second volume of the Final Report on the Evaluation of the National Diffusion Network consists of a series of technical supplements to Volume I, which contains the findings and recommendations. These technical supplements provide details of…

Professional historians and public school personnel must combine efforts to improve the teaching of history in the public schools. Because no more than one-half of all high school graduates enter college, it is important for the public schools to provide quality history education. Recent research by groups such as the National Assessment of…

The purpose of this study of modern communications technology in education is to present a systematic conceptual approach for analyzing instructional technology, to identify research and development priorities in less developed countries, and to formulate 26 high priority projects to be undertaken in the coming years. Chapter I summarizes the…

The primary purpose of "National CrossTalk" is to stimulate informed discussion and debate of higher education issues. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Keeping Them in College: East Carolina University's Efforts to Improve Retention and Graduation Rates (Don Campbell); (2) The "Seamless System": Florida's Flurry…

The fundamental principles underlying the "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) Act of 2001" focus on high standards of learning and instruction with the goal of increasing academic achievement--reading and math in particular--within all identified subgroups in the K-12 population. One of these subgroups is the growing population of English…

Change is hard work, even when we are convinced it is worth the effort. Teachers are expected to change without clear explanations or evidence of how the changes will benefit them or their students. Meaningful change is most likely to occur when teachers' beliefs, feelings, and personality are taken into consideration. This book applies the latest…

The 2006 Compendium looks at six issues of vital importance to education technology leaders today: (1) Measuring the Value of One-to-One Computing (Leslie A. Wilson and Eric L. Peterson with contributions from Tammy Fry, Rich Kaestner and Andrew Zucker); (2) Open Technologies in K-12 Schools (a collaborative effort coordinated by Jim Hirsch with…

This document, which is designed to assist managers, trainers, or assessors in work-based provision across the United Kingdom, shares the experiences of five work-based learning providers that sought to improve their initial assessment processes. Section 1 explains the purpose of initial assessment and presents guidelines for evaluating intake…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) examined selected experiences that six government agencies implemented to help empower or involve frontline employees. The agencies reviewed were as follows: the Federal Aviation Administration; the Federal Emergency Management Agency; the Internal Revenue Service; the Office of Personnel Management; and the…

In many school districts, particularly large urban districts, there has been an increase in the number of language minority students and in the linguistic and sociocultural diversity of these students. Historically, programs that served these students tended to operate and be administered separately from the mainstream program. Recent federal…

The Phare Vocational Education and Training (VET) Reform Programme in Romania was evaluated in May-June 1999. According to the two evaluators who conducted intensive visits to 14 pilot and demonstration schools and met with 9 zonal and local development committees and key representatives of Romanian government and educational agencies, the VET…

Americans rely on public schools to educate and prepare almost 50 million students to become productive members of society. Yet many public schools, particularly those in large cities, face significant challenges: over-crowded classrooms, shortages of highly-qualified teachers, low student achievement, achievement gaps, access to preschool, and…

This paper contributes to an emerging body of literature on school districts as active partners in education reform. Using qualitative methods, it details the first three years of a major districtwide initiative in San Diego City Schools as reformers sought to orient central office bureaucracy around an instructional agenda. This paper both…

These three case studies highlight the implementation and impact of Mid South Middle Start by: (1) contributing toward an in-depth understanding of what it means to be a school implementing Middle Start; (2) describing a holistic portrait of the schools' participation in Mid South Middle Start; and (3) assisting the Academy for Educational…

This final project report describes three related studies that examined reform efforts in a major metropolitan school district. Emphasis was on seven schools that had developed collaborative service approaches to reduce fragmentation of service delivery, increase accountability for students "at risk," and eliminate duplication of services. In…