Provides a case study on the quality of education in rural Ethiopia. Derives a measure for the quality of a school, which emphasizes responsiveness to household needs and willingness to try to attract students. Also derives a measure for teacher quality, based on teaching attitudes and behavior. (CAK)

Reviews the literature on faculty evaluation to define how different purposes and competing values have produced two approaches. A procedural approach relies upon both self-evaluation and appraisals by peers, administrators, and students. The developmental approach rests upon teaching portfolios, dossiers, and self-evaluations. Contains 23…

Investigated the production of professional portfolios to facilitate dialogs between student teachers and their cooperating teachers. Surveys and interviews indicated that participants' perceptions of the usefulness of portfolios to achieve this end varied from one phase of the process to the next, and student teachers and mentors differed in…

Despite dramatic evolution during the past decade, assessment of student performance still has issues to address which present important challenges for educators and may determine whether assessment ultimately succeeds or fails. The three issues are evaluating students, applying assessment innovations (holistic scoring and portfolio assessment),…

This article discusses how speech-language pathologists are in a strategic position to identify the problems, carry out an evaluation of feeding and swallowing skills, and determine the needs for medical team referral. It focuses on guidelines for obtaining a history, physical examinations, and observing a typical meal. (Contains references.)…

Describes a study conducted at the University of North London (England) that used an illuminative approach to evaluate undergraduate students' initial attitudes towards the use of information and communication technology. Discusses results of Honey and Mumford's learning style questionnaire and a factor analysis of student attitudes that included…

Using one set of standardized tests to determine if a student graduates or is promoted makes students pay for society's failure to provide an equal, quality education; encourages teaching to the test instead of teaching critical thinking skills; and ignores research findings and test publishers' advice that multiple measures are necessary for…

Discusses the effectiveness of computer mediated communication (CMC) in higher education. Highlights include a review of pertinent literature; factors associated with successful CMC resources; activity theory; helping users establish a shared purpose; methodological problems; evaluation methods; a conferencing system; and the patterns and content…

A 45-item self-rating scale based on nine creativity fostering behaviors was developed and validated with a self-describing adjectives checklist. Analysis of the responses of 117 teachers found adequate construct and concurrent validities. Specific teachers' creativity fostering behaviors were found to correlate with sex and ethnicity. (Contains…

Describes the use of literacy portfolios in an eighth-grade classroom. Discusses the growth of self-awareness, the strong sense of personal commitment, the connection between analyzing and critiquing individual work through the eyes of a reader, the creation of a community of writers, and student reflections on their writing experiences. (SD)

Discusses a method of evaluating middle school students' writing portfolios that places responsibility on the students themselves. Presents the evaluation assignment in three parts: students' self-evaluation, peer-evaluation, and parent-evaluation. Notes the effects of the portfolio method and evaluation strategy on literacy education. (JPB)

Examines recent organizational changes within Norway's teacher education, highlighting two state colleges and exploring: how teacher education leaders from the current and former systems perceive these changes and how they meet new challenges. Results from interviews with academic and administrative leaders are presented, emphasizing evaluation of…

Examines factors influencing research-practice gaps in the assessment and treatment of adults with neurologic communication disorders. Both researchers and clinicians are urged to learn alternative research strategies, build partnerships, and take advantage of new information technologies. Strategies are suggested for directly applying, adapting,…

A study of general and English-as-a-Second-Language elementary classrooms investigated teacher and student functional uses of language. The need to use dynamic assessment procedures and ethnographic observations to distinguish between a language disorder and typical difficulties associated with second-language acquisition is discussed. (Author/CR)

Reasons for a national shift from traditional to alternative assessment practices are examined, and the philosophical beliefs and theoretical assumptions of traditional and alternative assessment are examined. Classroom implications of this paradigm shift for instructional strategies, formative and summative evaluation, development of rubrics used…