The Rand Institute on Education and Training, in consultation with the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives, undertook an analysis of federal policy options to improve education in low-income areas. This analysis focuses on Chapter 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the federal program for…

Two predominant methodologies for calculating community college student transfer rates have emerged nationally. The Center for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC) has developed a methodology for tracking an entering student cohort, while the National Effectiveness Transfer Consortium (NETC) tracks an exiting student cohort. A study was…

The extension and research systems of land-grant institutions are in trouble. Six factors demonstrate the scope of the problem: significant cuts for agriculture in the Clinton administration budget; lawmakers opposed to extension research; federal budget deficit; state budget constraints; decreased power of agriculture in Congress; and…

Within the past several years of education reform, portfolios and other types of performance-based assessment have come to be recognized as viable alternatives to standardized tests. This report discusses insights gained through the use of portfolios at the university level with preservice students and their field-based experiences. Although…

These 23 papers provide as complete a picture as possible of the current efforts in self-directed learning application and research. The papers are: "Learning about Self-Directed Learning" (Long); "Philosophical, Psychological, and Practical Justifications for Studying Self-Direction in Learning" (Long); "In Search of…

The merits of the multilevel model for educational research and its uses for school effectiveness research are considered. The main goal of the paper is to establish what intelligent applications of multilevel models can do, helping researchers decide what they must do to make a rational choice between models. Multilevel models are random line…

In seven chapters, this report details the Science Fair Self-Help Development Program, which was initiated in a pilot project at three middles schools in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during school year 1991-1992. The purpose of the program was to provide guidance to schools in developing their own parental and community resources into a sustainable…

Action research is a way to examine purposes and practices in teaching. One way of conducting action research is to engage in participant observation, which may be seen as a systematic attempt to discover the knowledge that a group of people has learned and is using to organize the group's behavior. Participant observation has a great deal of…

These proceedings contain eight presentations related to research in the areas of marketing and distributive education: "Desired Student Preparation in the Job Application Process as Perceived by the Business Community" (Thomas Allen, Jr.); "Effective Marketing Techniques for Collegiate Business Education Programs" (Ralph Wray); "Alabama Marketing…

This paper summarizes and critiques the literature concerning the development and use of time-compressed, intensive course formats in colleges and universities and suggests directions for future inquiry. The paper begins with a discussion of the origins of intensive courses and their development over time. Briefly reviewed are related educational…

This narrative account summarizes the 2-day research forum of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP). Presentations focus on the central theme of the forum: new qualifications versus skill shortages. They include Kees Meijer's outline of the research undertaken in a series of national studies on skill shortages…

This packet contains three papers from the World Conference on Comparative Adult Education (CAE). The first consists of the opening ceremony remarks by Alexander N. Charters reminding participants of the work of previous conferences and urging worldwide learning. The second paper is a report of a meeting of the Committee for Study and Research in…

The Ohio Council on Vocational Education consists of 13 members: 7 from private business, industry, agriculture, labor, and the State Job Training Partnership Act administration, and 6 from secondary and postsecondary education. The council advises the governor, the State Board of Education, and the private sector on developing state plans,…

This theme issue of "Research and Creative Activity" features six articles on Indiana University faculty whose work on various campuses continues to broaden and advance knowledge about "Literacy and Learning". The articles are as follows: "New Ways to Teach Reading" (about the work of John McEneaney, Assistant…

The induction process for vocational education teachers was examined in a research study. A literature review indicated a growing research base illuminating the induction problems, successes, and needs of beginning teachers and other research proposing a general theory of human development. Major research activities included nominal group…