The mission of the Mid-continental Regional Education Laboratory (McREL) is to improve practice and increase academic performance in the schools of the seven-state mountain-plains region. McREL's principal approach to the dissemination and utilization of the effective schools research has been training teachers to use research. Based on the…

This bulletin describes a first-grade "readiness program" developed at the Aumsville (Oregon) School District to help children who have been found to be at risk in a standard first-grade program. These students attend a readiness first grade designed to assist their development emotionally, socially, physically, and academically and only…

This survey of extended day programs in independent schools consists of data gathered from replies to questionnaires sent to National Association of Independent Schools member schools, interspersed with commentary from the authors. It is intended to portray what already exists, alert readers to concerns and responsibilities, and convey the variety…

The Language and Culture Institute of the University of Pittsburgh has developed a 13-week program of pre-assignment training for engineers given corporate assignments in Japan. The Institute offers the corporations three components in this intensive seminar: program administration, language training, and culture training. The program…

A study investigated the relationship between the 1982 native language proficiency of 4,700 newly-enrolled Spanish-speaking, limited-English-proficient (LEP) kindergarten through seventh grade students and their success rates in acquiring English proficiency in the following 4 years. Findings of the study, and the implications derived from the…

Evidence suggests that limited-English-proficient (LEP) students are among those most likely to drop out of school. Inconsistencies in defining dropouts and limited research affect estimates of LEP dropouts. Factors increasing the dropout risk include: low level of English language competence; large school size; lower expectations of certain…

During 1985-86 the School Community Education Program (also known as the Umbrella Program), funded by the New York State Legislature, provided a variety of educational and training experiences to some 25,871 participants, including pre-kindergarten children and their parents; and students, teachers, and supervisors from kindergarten through grade…

Since the 1970s, Outward Bound (OB) has borrowed psychological language and models to articulate its educational objectives and methods in terms accessible to mainstream educators. This report claims that OB's uncritical adoption of psychological language and models will undermine its commitment to certain core values of its tradition. This is…

Macomb Community College (MCC) in Warren, Michigan, has a commitment to support business and industrial development, consequent employee retraining, and program design. In addition to helping workers in their retraining and/or relocation, the college provides systematic support in the development of basic skills. Occupational programs have tended…

A concern among those scrutinizing postsecondary programs in educational administration is the relationship among the academic and theoretical components of the programs, field-based experiences, and future on-the-job success. This paper examines the efforts of an educational administration department at Valdosta State College, Valdosta, Georgia,…

Developed for application in Air Force weapons systems training programs, a research project investigated the methods, procedures, and data available for conducting cost and training effectiveness analyses (CTEA). The primary objective of the project was to develop a user-oriented procedure for early formulation of training programs that can be…

This manual is the curriculum component of a series designed to provide school planners and guidance personnel with a comprehensive developmental guidance program model which can be adapted, adopted or used to create new programs. The materials focus on program planning, staff development, guidance curriculum, and activity guides for grades K-12.…

Recognizing the underrepresentation and poor academic performance of Mexican American students in mathematics- and science-based fields, the guide (1) reviews student- and institution-related factors contributing to mathematics and science declines, (2), describes selective secondary and college mathematics and science model programs, (3)…

Partnerships between schools and businesses are becoming more frequent and more reciprocal as the two find common interests; the Salem-Keizer (Oregon) Public Schools provide a nationally recognized example of such a partnership. Salem's program began in 1981 with a joint school board and Chamber of Commerce policy statement. Despite economic…

A review of the literature on instruction in English as a second language (ESL) looks at four areas of ESL instruction individually and then derives conclusions and recommendations from those areas. The first area, ESL instructional approaches, includes discussion of the educational benefits of current ESL instructional approaches (audiolingual…