A national survey of students who undertook vocational education and training (VET) in the year 2000 at a Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institute in Australia was conducted through a mailing of questionnaires to a randomly selected sample of graduates and module completers. Response rate was 52 percent and 41 percent, respectively. In…

The Standards Implementation Design (SID) system is a comprehensive framework for analyzing school performance, planning for improvement based on the analysis, implementing the improvements, and evaluating results. It is designed to engage school personnel in introspection about student achievement as related to curriculum, the teaching and…

An evaluation was conducted of the Instructional Technology Assistance Project. Its goals were to promote learning in technologically enhanced classrooms; support adult education (AE) teachers in developing skills and confidence in integrating technology into instruction; and identify exemplary practices in technology enhanced AE. Data sources…

This study examined the impact of a 5-year school family partnership project in Israel with the goals of improving children's reading and writing achievement and forming a parents task force to create community-wide involvement and change. Participating in this study were 510 parents of the first graders enrolled in 21 classrooms in 7 Jewish…

The U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention publishes "Catalyst," a newsletter covering current Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence (AODV) prevention issues at institutions of higher education. "Catalyst" discusses emerging issues and highlights innovative efforts on…

The Increased Flexibility for 14-16 year olds Programme (IFP) was introduced in 2002 by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) to provide vocational learning opportunities at key stage 4 for those young people who would benefit most. The programme, which entailed FE colleges and training providers working in partnership with schools to…

On April 5, 2005, the Georgetown Public Policy Institute released its first of several reports on the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. The 100+ page report describes the characteristics of the initial group of participating students and their families and offers important first-year comparative data. Moreover, the report provides important…

An national evaluation is being conducted to determine the effectiveness of career academies, an important feature of the school-to-work initiative. The evaluation looks at three characteristics of career academies: their school-within-a-school organization, their combined academic and occupational curriculum, and their employer partnerships.…

A study evaluated The Boeing Company's Student Internship Program for students enrolled in a manufacturing technology program. The programs in the Seattle (Washington) and Portland (Oregon) areas provided students with three progressive internship levels offered in the summers of grades 11, 12, and 13 (the first year of community college). The…

A consensus has emerged in recent years that the fragmented systems serving children and families need to be restructured and integrated in ways that make them accessible, family-focused, and able to accommodate cultural differences. Collaborative partnerships involving schools, families, and other community stakeholders are learning that they are…

Accountability in career counseling is receiving increased attention. However, few organizations have specific guidelines for the delivery of career counseling. This digest describes a workbook, developed in Canada, which furnishes a practical, valuative approach for support organizations that provide career counseling services. The procedures in…

Career development in Canada has been gaining prominence over the past decade. This digest outlines the principles on which career development must remain focused. First, the meaning of "career success" needs to be reconceptualized. With companies downsizing, people need to be able to view themselves as successful, despite changing…

This collection of seven major presentations at a 1997 conference on assessment and quality in higher education includes three plenary presentations and four introductions to program strands. In "Accountability and Assessment in a Second Decade: New Looks or Same Old Story?" Peter T. Ewell stresses the importance of defining the academic integrity…

The federal Even Start program was implemented to improve the educational opportunities of low-income children and adults by integrating early childhood education, adult education, and parent education into a unified family literacy initiative. Because children's first formal educational experiences may significantly influence the course of their…

This report describes Project CREEK (Community Resources Through Environmental Education for Kids), a collaborative 3-year project between the University of California at Davis, the University of Maryland, and a large, rural K-5 elementary school in central California, and a sister site near Baltimore. Specifically, this report examines changes in…