This is the second year report in a five-year evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). This program, which began in 1990, provides government-funded vouchers for low-income children to attend private schools in the City of Milwaukee. The maximum voucher amount in 2007-08 was $6,607, and approximately 20,000 children use a…

In this paper we report the results of our on-going activities regarding the use of smart phones and mobile services in university classrooms. The purpose of these trials was to explore and identify which content and services could be delivered to the smart phones in order to support learning and communication in the context of university studies.…

A variety of handheld applications and curricular materials have been developed to support inquiry science learning in recent years, but there are few handheld-supported assessment activities available to teachers. In Project WHIRL, researchers from SRI International worked in partnership with teachers from Beaufort County School District (SC) to…

This report explores current thinking in professional development as it relates to strategies for reform. It begins with a discussion of the relationship between professional development and school reform and a description of recent efforts by the National Governors' Association to stimulate dialogue on the issue. The report then discusses the…

The realization of the need for reform in Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system stems largely from changing economic circumstances and a changing industrial relations environment. The reforms are intended to provide the following: national coherence in training arrangements and outcomes, improved quality and more widespread…

Hospitals--the most costly segment of the health care system--are beginning to use benchmarking to discover how other hospitals and businesses have developed cost-cutting and time-saving ways of doing things. Benchmarking is a sophisticated, multifaceted procedure, usually conducted by teams, for identifying and adapting best-in-class practices.…

As increased attention is placed on the role of schools in the development of character, community service/service learning, the concept of providing instrution through the study of community issues, action to address them, and reflection on the experience, can help meet school and community goals. Through community service/service learning,…

Mentoring programs offer experienced caregivers and directors new encouragement to remain in the field by helping them learn to share their skills with others and grow in the profession. This report is the result of an information-gathering process among mentoring programs for early childhood educators in the United States. Following an…

The Arlington (Virginia) Adult Learning System (AALS) represented a model for transitioning adult learners of English as a Second Language (ESL). Involving several service partners who collaborated with the Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP), the project illustrated effective ways of linking community-based organizations, adult…

This handbook illustrates the process of alliance building through the experience of the Arlington (Virginia) Adult Learning System (AALS), an alliance of adult education providers in Arlington, Virginia. (The purpose of AALS is to facilitate the assessment, training, counseling, and transitioning of adult learners of English as a Second Language…

This monograph is intended to be a guide to the teacher of adult basic education (ABE) whose students include those with learning disabilities. An introductory chapter notes that participants with learning disabilities in ABE programs may or may not have received special educational services depending on whether they attended school before or…

This document profiles Ohio's seven award-winning workplace literacy programs. The workplace literacy programs described are offered by a mix of urban and rural firms which employ between 85 and 2,323 individuals in a variety of sectors. The workplace literacy programs offered by the following firms are described: Cleveland Track Material; L.J.…

A staff development project created a series of family science activities to be used in adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) and family literacy programs and a training guide for staff and volunteers. The training guide provides background principles and concepts for science activities. The activities identify materials and indicate ways the…

Produced by a demonstration project that explored the use of speech synthesis and speech recognition in writing-based classes held by two Philadelphia literacy providers, this manual was developed for teachers who may wish to integrate speech synthesis into their curriculum. It contains a description of the technologies and activities that may be…

Increased global competition and rapidly changing labor markets are providing a new imperative for relevance and quality assurance in education. This imperative is driving a consensus around the need for standards that link the content of education and training to the demands of the workplace. The national framework for improving relevance and…