A series of studies were conducted at San Jose City College (SJCC) in San Jose, California, to evaluate the persistence of three groups of new mathematics students entering Arithmetic, Algebra, and Intermediate Algebra courses in the fall of 1988. In particular, the studies examined students' persistence from the initial mathematics course,…

A series of studies were conducted at Evergreen Valley College in San Jose, California, to evaluate the persistence of three groups of new mathematics students entering Arithmetic, Algebra, and Intermediate Algebra courses in the fall of 1988. In particular, the studies examined students' persistence from the initial mathematics course,…

Alternatives to the current system of graded classes and ability grouping are examined that would allow teachers to balance individual student needs with practical considerations in instructional delivery. In addition to reviewing the alternatives, the research that has examined these approaches is reviewed and synthesized. The three alternative…

Many state and local entities are developing and using performance assessment programs. Because these initiatives are so diverse, it is very difficult to understand what they are doing, or to compare them in any meaningful way. Multiple-choice tests are contrasted with performance assessments, and preliminary classifications are suggested to…

This report addresses the issue of female faculty's equitable representation in the Pennsylvania State System between 1974 and 1989. The data contained in the report represents a determination of the extent to which women were present and equitably represented on the faculty within the State System and at each of its 14 universities. Comparisons…

Sixth in Piedmont Virginia Community College's (PVCC's) annual series, this student retention study was conducted to provide collegewide retention rates aggregated by a variety of institutional and student characteristics, and to ascertain major differences between returning and non-returning students. Official end-of-term data for the 1990-91…

The purpose of this research was to: (1) ascertain the existence and functions of practical thinking styles, illuminating teachers' thought processes; (2) identify practical thinking styles of experts (N=5) and compare them with those of novices (N=5); and (3) present several implications for rethinking teacher education in Japan. Qualitative and…

A project examined the interface between schools and technical and further education (TAFE) in Australia and between schools and post-school vocational education in other countries. It focused on the effect of increased retention to year 12 on TAFE curricula. Information was gathered through a literature search, interviews with curriculum staff,…

The adequacy of several approaches to estimation of proficiency distributions for the Trial State Assessment (TSA) in eighth grade mathematics of the National Assessment of Educational Progress was examined. These approaches are more restrictive than the estimation procedures originally used, with the same kind of plausible-values approach that…

A study was done comparing faculty salaries at the University of Maryland at College Park (UMCP) with those at other similar institutions for fall 1991. The data were drawn from the fiscal year 1992 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System survey, "Salary, Tenure, and Fringe Benefits of Full-Time Instructional Faculty," and the…

This document consists of the premier issue of an annual international journal on the acquisition and teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL). Its six articles and their contributors are as follows: "Adapting and Applying Levinson's Concept of the 'Dispreferred Second' to the Review of the ESL Materials" (Lawrence F. Bouton);…

This collection of charts is primarily a compilation of statistics collected by various private and public organizations about North Carolina schools in relation to the rest of the country. Most of the information came from "Rankings of the States, 1991" by the National Education Association. Figures used in the rankings represent the…

The major goal of this study is to apply the essential unidimensionality statistic of W. Stout and the corresponding computer program (DIMTEST) to a hierarchical level mathematics achievement data set and to determine the extent to which the undimensional assumption can be accurately applied to mathematics achievement data. The study also…

This paper provides an overview of family experience in the United States by examining three dimensions: (1) childhood family experience, including the experiences of one-parent and step-parent families, and age at homeleaving; (2) marriage and childbearing including nonmarital childbearing, cohabitation, marriage, home ownership, and marital…

A study examined the role of employer training in ameliorating skill shortages and enhancing productivity and competitiveness. The study established that formal training by specialized personnel accounts for only 5-10% of the time newly hired workers are engaged in training activities and that existing labor market research instruments fail to…