This report summarizes the results of two educational policy studies: (1) an analysis of current problems in teacher competency testing; and (2) an exploration of educational testing and evaluation research and development needs. In the first study, information on teacher competency testing was gathered from a literature review and meetings with…

Collaborative strategies were used for the conduct of research on two topics: preservice teacher education for elementary school teachers, and preservice and inservice education for secondary school mathematics teachers. The collaborative arrangements were the same for both projects, but the tasks differed. The intent of the elementary school…

This report documents a project to develop current statewide validated competencies for auto mechanics, diesel mechanics, welding, office occupations, and printing. Section 1 describes the four steps used in the current competency validation project and provides a standardized process for conducting future studies at the local or statewide level.…

Evidence from ethnology, anthropology, and educational history and research indicates that age segregation is neither necessary nor natural. An examination of primate and simple human societies suggests that rigid assumptions about age segregation of the young is a recent departure from social patterns existing for millions of years. The…

Two studies were conducted among Hispanic secondary school students in Arizona to determine whether providing special reading time with a wide variety of reading materials in Spanish would affect the students' reading abilities, reading attitudes, and academic self-concepts. The studies were conducted in two Arizona high schools, one in a high…

The paper describes the perspective of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services on special education research. The process for reviewing research proposals is explained, along with procedures for selecting experts in the field for creating registers of reviewers. Also discussed are the number of points allocated to different…

Many believe that whether teachers teach students to "do" science, teach about science, or teach about technology instead, science teachers should be as culturally literate about science as possible. Also, it is believed that a philosophy of science course which uses history of science, some normative epistemologies, practical examples, and…

Educational indicators are statistical input/output measures providing information on the health of the educational system. This report for the consideration of the Council of Chief State School Officers characterizes the current state of educational indicators as in "shambles." It proposes a three phase framework for developing a sensitive and…

This publication is an abstracted compilation of 11 investigations. The information includes purpose, rationale, research design and procedures, findings, interpretations, abstractor's comments, previous research, procedure and statistical methods, and further research. Contained within are: (1) "Gender-Based Differential Item Performance in…

An evaluation of voluntary education programs sponsored by the military services focused on how servicemembers' educational needs are determined and undergraduate education services are provided. Using 19 standards originally developed by the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation, the General Accounting Office (GAO) analyzed the…

An outline is provided, for its staff, of the seven priorities of the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC), during the second half of the California State Legislature's 1987-88 session. The report states that the Commission's staff will: (1) work with legislators and the Governor's staff to develop and implement appropriate…

Secondary level mathematics programs of England, Finland, France, Israel, Japan and Swaziland are compared using data from the Second International Mathematics Study and United Nations sources. Within a clearly defined school structure, the number of mathematics course options, age cohort enrollments and male/female ratios are considered with an…

Since the early 1980s, blue ribbon commissions and task forces have focused their attention upon identifying problems and suggesting solutions to shortcomings within the public educational system. Some of the questions that can be raised include the following: (1) Who are these citizens interested in educational practices? (2) What solutions have…

The purpose of this paper is to review the research literature on effects produced by elementary school teachers and to identify implications of the findings for the early education of children prior to the first grade. Current issues in the research on teacher effects are discussed under the following headings: (1) teachers do make a difference;…

A study of the use of and attitudes about language laboratories focused on teacher perceptions of their speed, accuracy, and motivational capability and on the extent to which these characteristics are exploited in classroom use by teachers and students. Observers in four British schools of English rated details of language laboratory use in a…