Recounts students' reactions to the videotaping of their speeches in three speech communication classes. Shows how the students found the taping experience valuable. (EL)

A project that combined a research practicum for 17 psychology undergraduates with the implementation and evaluation of an assertiveness training program for physically disabled college students is described. A follow-up of students' postbaccalaureate activities revealed that the majority were using skills that they had learned in the project.…

The evolution of the role of research and development units in Netherlands higher education in the last two decades is discussed in the context of its tasks, organization, and position in the university hierarchy; dissemination of research results; cooperation with other units and researchers; and the field of study. (MSE)

Trends in higher education research in England are noted, particularly the transition from a laissez-faire system to one characterized by greater control and planning. The two major areas of investigation, patterns of access to higher education and instruction, are noted, and two major research projects are described. (MSE)

Discusses methodology and results of a study which uses the distinction between deep-level and surface-level approach, to examine the way first-year psychology students tackle studying of a text, and extent to which these study strategies are related to student views on learning conceptions and the quality of learning outcome. (MBR)

This paper's title summarizes the authors' two main aims. For a number of years, the authors have been helping high schools and districts that are attempting to create or improve career academies. Their assistance includes developing the schools' own capacity to keep track of results for students, relying mainly on information that is ordinarily…

The purpose of this article is to suggest some ways in which researchers can make their work more useful to policymakers. Policy research is more than "applied" research. It is designed to answer questions about what "actions" will or will not be effective in dealing with the problem studied, not just to understand the antecedents or consequences…

The goal of ensuring that all children are "ready for school" has become a national priority. As a result, programs that support children's school readiness are becoming more and more important to policy-makers, funders, and parents. It is becoming very clear that efforts to improve school success cannot begin at kindergarten, nor focus…

"Focus on Basics" is the quarterly publication of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. It presents best practices, current research on adult learning and literacy, and how research is used by adult basic education teachers, counselors, program administrators, and policymakers. "Focus on Basics" is dedicated to…

What can school leaders really do to increase student achievement, and which leadership practices have the biggest impact on school effectiveness? For the first time in the history of leadership research in the United States, here's a book that answers these questions definitively and gives you a list of leadership competencies that are…

Writing, speaking and listening are communication skills that are important in all subject areas in the curriculum. Hence, literacy should have a central position in the curriculum. Even so, differences between students' levels of literacy mean that some students fail to acquire the verbal foundations for learning. For this reason, increasing…

The year 2005 marked the National Science Resources Center's (NSRC) 20th anniversary. This 20-year period saw the rise of new opportunities--such as the promulgation of the National Research Council's National Science Education Standards--and challenges--such as the rise of China and India as important competitors in the global marketplace. Over…

This book explores the challenges of implementing and assessing educational interventions in varied classroom contexts. Included are reflections on the challenges of designing studies for improving the instructional core of schools, guidelines for establishing evidence of interventions' impacts across a wide range of settings, and an assessment of…

This book illustrates how teacher education can dispose prospective teachers to be critical and continuing students of teaching. There are 10 chapters in two sections. The book begins with (1) "Getting Oriented." Section 1, "Preservice Teacher Education," includes methodologies for exploring self: (2) "Life Writing"…

After their 1969 inception as an electrical academy in a Philadelphia high school, the number of career academies grew steadily for two decades; since 1990, their growth has accelerated. Until the mid-1990s, they existed only as smaller units within high schools, but numerous high schools have since converted themselves entirely into career…