This report discusses findings from a comprehensive national survey of the effectiveness of magnet schools in improving the quality of public education and in assisting school desegregation. Chapter I provides background information on the concept and evolution of magnet schools; discusses the purposes of the national survey and several issues…

The initial conceptualization and subsequent development of the Effective Schools Pilot Project in the Kansas City (Missouri) Public Schools is described in this paper. Five K-6 schools and one school containing a kindergarten and grades 5 and 6 were the locus for the project that involved school-site teams working in collaboration with both…

The data collection process is described for a new facet of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)--the state-level assessment of eighth-grade mathematics in 1990 and 1992 to determine the feasibility and validity of state assessments. For this Trial State Assessment, the NAEP will work with a State Coordinator from each of the 41…

Module 13 of the 17-module self-instructional course on student financial aid administration (designed for novice financial aid administrators and other institutional personnel) focuses on the verification procedure for checking the accuracy of applicant data used in making financial aid awards. The full course provides an introduction to the…

The Vocational Education Act of 1984 offers considerable opportunity for industrial arts. Because modern industrial arts (and agricultural arts) are listed as being eligible for funding from the Basic State Grant, Part B, most attention will be focused on this goal. Other Part B uses of funds with potential for industrial arts involvement include…

Sociologist Willard Waller, writing more than 50 years ago, framed many of the key ideas found in contemporary literature on school organization. This paper is both an appreciation and criticism of Waller's seminal case studies of social interaction in schools. The paper is divided into four sections. The first two explore Waller's thought and its…

Educational public relations (PR) is a planned and systematic management function designed to help improve the programs and services of an educational organization. The standards and techniques discussed in this guide are based on the nearly 50 years of experience of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). The guidebook offers…

The advantages of off-campus extension education courses in rural settings are numerous, and extension courses offered on a noncredit basis present minimal problems for the individuals responsible for administering them. When such courses are offered for credit, however, the problems associated with administering them increase dramatically.…

There have been three distinct eras in our expectations for student learning. In Era I (1837-1909), a little learning was expected from many students. Children were to be disciplined and taught the three Rs; learning was achieved through will. In Era II (1910-1975) much learning was expected from some students, but little learning was expected…

The use of explicit, written criteria to evaluate college and university faculty is examined. Four major issues concerning faculty evaluation are as follows: the desired outcomes of faculty evaluation; the functions of faculty activity that are to be evaluated; the criteria that should be used for each area evaluated; and the procedures for…

Types of initiatives that colleges have implemented to foster continuing faculty career growth and the major attributes essential to success of the efforts are considered. The role of administrators in supporting faculty growth and vitality is also addressed. Several colleges and universities encourage career planning activities in which faculty…

Research among ninth graders in Ankara, Turkey, compared individual and family characteristics of socioeconomically disadvantaged versus advantaged students; investigated the educational issues these students faced; and examined major educational and guidance problems of the disadvantaged. Results indicated that, compared to advantaged students,…

Observations of and interviews with teachers and administrators in three elementary and three secondary schools provided support for the hypothesis that the social organization of the school as a workplace affects the fruitfulness of staff development efforts and the effectiveness of the school as a whole. This report reviews the relevant…

In 1978 the state of New York established the Regents Competency Testing Program to ensure that all high school students would achieve a state standard of competency in reading, writing, and mathematics prior to graduation. That same year the Resource Allocation Plan was established to help schools in improving pupils' achievement in the basic…

A study identified barriers to the implementation of competency-based vocational education (CBVE) in Florida and gathered and reported suggested solutions to overcoming those barriers. To gather data for the study, researchers conducted force-field analysis sessions, site visits, a literature review, and telephone surveys. From data concerning and…