For seven years, the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) was the primary standardized assessment instrument used by the adult education program of the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV (MIUIV) of the Pennsylvania Department of Education Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education. While reviewing its current assessment procedures, the MIUIV's…

This book reviews the literature on reflection, explores the relationship between reflection and learning, and discusses how reflection can be used to improve learning and professional practice. The following are among the topics discussed: (1) common-sense and developmental stage approaches to reflection; (2) the philosophies of Dewey and…

Six of the first vocational education (VE) programs to adopt new voluntary national skill standards were studied to identify the opportunities and challenges faced by VE programs adopting the new standards. The VE programs studied were located in high schools in seven cities: Chalmette and Walker, Louisiana; Chicago, Illinois; L'Anse Creuse,…

In 1998, the Board of Directors for the Washington State Institute for Public Policy directed staff to study teacher quality. The Institute examined three teacher preparation and development programs covering the early stages of teachers' careers: pre-service teacher preparation, beginning teacher assistance, and professional certification.…

This report provides statistical data on the state of higher education among the member states of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). The purpose of the data is to inform state-level policymaking. It contains regional indicators and projections in regard to population, educational attainment, high school graduation,…

This study, conducted by Regents College (New York), a virtual university founded to serve the needs of adult learners, sought to determine factors associated with student retention in an external degree program. Assessment data for students enrolled in the Regents College undergraduate liberal arts program was derived solely from the student…

This book includes a collection of papers on the theories, methodologies, and practice of health promotion initiatives in Europe and the Americas. The 23 chapters are: (1) "A Framework for Health Promotion Evaluation" (Irving Rootman, Michael Goodstadt, Louise Potvin, and Jane Springett); (2) "Beyond Process and Outcome Evaluation:…

An ongoing research project in Australia is focused on the concept of the transfer of competence across different working situations. It establishes a framework for learning that is student-centered and that integrates the concepts of activity theory, expansive learning, communities of practice, and multiple intelligences. Perceptions of those…

A study investigated the experiences of a purposive sample of 12 women who have taken technological career paths and who have excelled in their respective fields. The study began with one question: "What internal and/or external factors influenced, supported, and/or encouraged these women to become competent at a very high level in…

A project has been designed to identify how a non-metropolitan community consolidates and develops sustainable social and economic activity. For many authors, the political position reiterating vocational education and training (VET) as the pivotal contributor to building national economic sustainability is framed in terms of human capital…

In recent years, issues affecting children and youth have received increased attention at the national and local levels, with numerous reports detailing challenges and offering solutions. Targeted toward policymakers, practitioners, scholars, and those seeking understanding of ideas for social and educational reform, this book focuses on promising…

This book contains 10 papers on three key questions regarding the effects of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), which ended the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program: why welfare caseloads are falling; how welfare recipients are faring; and how the states are responding to changing…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the process used by learners to direct, locate, and integrate information resources for use in a project-based environment. Four cases (n=9, including three group projects and one individual project) were analyzed from an introductory educational technology course for preservice teachers during a unit…

This paper is a mid-project report of a study being conducted of a block of education methods courses (i.e., courses on classroom management, content area reading, secondary methods, and the professional educator) for students seeking emergency certification. This block is being taught 80% asynchronously through the Internet and 20% synchronously…

This paper is a report on the findings of a study conducted during an undergraduate computer science class for preservice teacher educators which was restructured using constructivist principles. Qualitative analysis techniques were applied to field notes, transcripts of computer-mediated discourse, project evaluations, an interview with the…