The purpose of this report was to describe the first year of the implementation of a bilingual program consisting of three levels of instruction: preliterate, beginning, and intermediate. Students were placed in one of the three levels following state and district guidelines. The instruction implemented was designed to serve students with little…

Gifted students represent an under-served population in the education system, especially at the middle school level. These students require special attention in regard to their social and emotional needs. The first section of this paper explores the literature pertaining to the education of gifted middle school students and the definition and role…

Efforts at one high school to reconsider its practices of ability grouping and explore alternative assessment and grouping practices are described. Assessment of the schools' practices found that students in lower ability groups had a less stimulating curriculum, fewer positive role models, lower motivation, lower expectations for themselves, and…

This document, which was developed after a comprehensive review of the current state of driver education across the United States and which included an extensive literature review and interviews with 40 individuals from various sectors, including education, law enforcement, and the insurance industry, identifies ways of revamping driver education.…

In 1988, the California legislature provided funding for development of two Middle College High School (MCHS) projects, one at Contra Costa College (CCC), and another one at Los Angeles Southwest College (LASC). The MCHS is a high school program on a college campus designed to meet the needs of high risk urban youth with college potential. Through…

This publication contains 18 subjects appropriate for use in a competency list for the occupation of office management specialist, 1 of 12 occupations within the business/computer technologies cluster. Each unit consists of a number of competencies; a list of competency builders is provided for each competency. Titles of the 18 units are as…

This publication contains 25 subjects appropriate for use in a competency list for the occupation of computer programmer/analyst, 1 of 12 occupations within the business/computer technologies cluster. Each unit consists of a number of competencies; a list of competency builders is provided for each competency. Titles of the 25 units are as…

This publication contains 22 subjects appropriate for use in a competency list for the occupation of information support specialist, 1 of occupations within the business/computer technologies cluster. Each unit consists of a number of competencies; a list of competency builders is provided for each competency. Titles of the 22 units are as…

Surveys of colleges, schools, and departments of education in most of the 73 state and private institutions that offer teacher preparation programs in California indicated that projections for the teaching profession showed little increase in diversity to ensure equity, or provided sufficient role models for students from all ethnic groups. The…

A study evaluated previously funded vocational/applied technology programs to provide marketable skills to single parents, displaced homemakers, and single pregnant women throughout Texas. Program assessment questionnaires were sent to the program directors, administrators, high school principals, counselors, and program advisory committee members…

This guide to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) describes its purpose, contents, uses, and research methodology by presenting 21 questions about the NAEP program. The NAEP is mandated by Congress to survey the educational accomplishments of U.S. students and to monitor changes in these accomplishments. It tracks the…

This paper addresses the role of distance education as a means for increasing curricular offerings of small and rural secondary schools. Treating distance education as a "technology" risks repeating the same cycle of false hopes and expectations that has historically accompanied the introduction of technology into education. Instead,…

In winter and spring 1995, the Western Center for Community College Development, in Oregon, undertook a 2-year project to develop the Contextual Learning Institute and Consortium to train teachers in contextual teaching, or instruction linked to the real life domains of students, and implement this methodology in a variety of subjects at the high…

A relatively systemic approach to education reform emerged in the 1990s as one way of addressing policy fragmentation. This volume contains the case studies from a study that sought to: (1) expand knowledge of state approaches to systemic education reform; (2) examine district, school, and teacher responses to state reform policies in a small…

This guide contains the materials and guidelines required to complete a Career Preparation Assessment (CPA) portfolio, which is a classroom-tested, employer-validated, performance-based assessment of career readiness skills for use by all high school students. The guide is divided into two parts. Part 1 is an overview of the CPA process that…