High school students in the United States have been taking more challenging courses in recent years, but academic achievement has been stagnant. At the heart of the matter is the quality of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Some courses tend to be more challenging in name than in practice. High schools also have a history of autonomy that…

International benchmark studies confirm that school mathematics and science education in South Africa is weak and suffers from systemic problems. The Teacher Mentorship Programme (TMP) based at the Department of Civil and Biosystems Engineering of the University of Pretoria was borne out of lessons learnt from ongoing outreach and awareness…

This pilot project investigates second language (L2) learners' attitudes towards three varieties of English: American (AmE), British (BrE) and Australian (AuE). A 69-word passage spoken by a female speaker of each variety was used. Participants were 30 Chinese students pursuing Masters or Doctoral degrees in the United States, who listened to each…

The current study is a formative evaluation of an integrated, school-based program for urban minority youth transitioning into high school. The design of this pilot project was quasi-experimental in nature, with one freshman physical education class assigned to receive the intervention and one to receive no program or "treatment as usual." The…

The Assessment Snapshots digital resource is a current project to support academic learning about assessment by diffusing knowledge and understanding of locally contextualised good practice in assessment at the University of Western Sydney. An initial collection of Snapshots was made available to academic staff on the university web site in early…

The authors developed and validated a measure of teachers' motivation toward specific work tasks: The Work Tasks Motivation Scale for Teachers (WTMST). The WTMST is designed to assess five motivational constructs toward six work tasks (e.g., class preparation, teaching). The authors conducted a preliminary (n = 42) and a main study among…

A pilot study analyzed oral interpretation ballots collected at two college forensics tournaments to determine the average number and classifications of comments on the ballots. A total of 1,737 comments from 304 ballots of oral interpretation events (prose, poetry, program, duo, and dramatic) were analyzed. Results indicated a mean of 5.71…

The Consolidated Child Care Pilot Projects were established by the Colorado General Assembly in 1997, and designed to help local communities to address critical needs for full-day, full-year child care services in partnership with welfare reform. This report describes the context for the project, details the pilot programs, and profiles the 12…

Author described a program designed to provide additional help in the school district by using the knowledge, skills, and expertise of parent volunteers. (Author/RK)

An introductory section providing background information on the Virginia Department of Education's (VaDOE) pilot education project for 4-year-olds is followed by discussion of the project and its evaluation. Discussion also concerns the forms of collaboration that are likely to increase the use of data by three classes of information users,…

A pilot study at the University of Arkansas proved the success of a manual system of selective dissemination of information for researchers. Forms, a summary of activities, and an evaluative questionnaire are included. (LS)

A list of 86 instructional competencies in the categories of instruction, school and classroom management and environment, and student guidance services were identified by teachers and principals. The validation of these competencies was accomplished through comparison and consensus. An instructional alternative system was designed by using a…

THIS PROJECT WAS CONDUCTED TO STUDY, GATHER DATA FROM, AND REPORT ON THE SUCCESS OF THE OPERATIONS OF PILOT PROGRAMS IN RECORDKEEPING, BOOKKEEPING, AND ACCOUNTING WHICH HAD BEEN IN TRIAL OPERATION DURING THE PREVIOUS ACADEMIC YEAR IN THREE VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOLS. ONE URBAN, ONE SUBURBAN, AND ONE RURAL SCHOOL TOOK PART IN THE PILOT STUDY. THE…

AN EVALUATION OF THE CURRICULUM AND ORGANIZATION OF THE BLOOMINGDALE SCHOOL FOR TRAINABLE CHILDREN, WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, WAS MADE BY A COMMITTEE INCLUDING TEACHERS, THE PRINCIPAL, AND AN ADMINISTRATOR OF SPECIAL EDUCATION. FOLLOWING A SURVEY OF THE LITERATURE ON TEAM TEACHING OF THE HANDICAPPED, THE SLOVER SCHOOL, FONTANA, CALIFORNIA, WAS…