This document provides the procedures and instruments through which vocational education program personnel may evaluate or reevaluate the value and effectiveness of their program. It was prepared to help secondary vocational educators prepare for self-evaluation of their programs and site visits by educational personnel as part of a statewide…

This report presents an evaluation of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act, Chapter 2, Subprogram C, Special Projects program for the 1988-89 school year. The purpose of the program was to expand the knowledge and skills of job developers in placing severely handicapped students in appropriate occupational and adult service agency…

This paper examines the traditional approach used by most students to meet the admission requirements of four-year colleges and universities and argues that the approach is not working for minority students, including American Indian, Black, and Hispanic students and members of families of low-income backgrounds. It is suggested that a better…

The Copernican Plan is a way to organize high schools on the basis of research and experience concerning more effective and efficient instruction. Research indicates that large-block scheduling has proven to be very successful. In the plan, each student will enroll in one class at a time for about 4 hours each day for a period of 30 days. An…

A set of supplemental materials for teaching grade 7 life sciences to beginning and intermediate students of English as a second language (ESL) includes an introductory section on teaching the ESL student and six instructional units. The introductory section discusses the special classroom needs and characteristics of the ESL student and provides…

This handbook is designed to help counselors take leadership in providing comprehensive career development activities for students in grades 9-12. The guidelines are intended as a tool for counselors to use in working with their colleagues to develop realistic and workable counseling and placement program strategies. A five-phase schema is…

The Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) was developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), in response to Texas House Bill 72 (1984), which mandated a new basic skills assessment program for mathematics, reading, and writing at grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. This document is one in a series of Instructional Strategies Guides…

Statistics on higher education and elementary/secondary education are presented, including data on enrollments, instructional staff, expenditures and revenues, federal funds for education, and degrees conferred. Data for school years 1970-71, 1975-76, 1980-81 and estimates for 1985-86, are provided on enrollments, instructional staff, and…

The purposes of this study were to examine the relationship between academic achievement and demographic and school background variables for school districts and school buildings and to develop from these relationships a basis for comparing achievement at similar schools. The sample consisted of Iowa public school districts that participated in…

This paper reports on the New Jersey State Department of Education's research process for developing a scoring rubric that assesses test objectives and higher order thinking skills through writing. New Jersey's statewide assessment program includes a written essay portion to test students' ability to write on a given topic and communicate an…

This curriculum guide is intended to encourage students to learn how everyone benefits when young people, other citizens, and the media exercise the constitutional rights of free speech and free press. Background information on free speech issues is provided, along with classroom activities, discussion questions, and student worksheets. There are…

The increasing use of microcomputers and hand-held calculators has implications for mathematics and science instruction, achievement testing, and educational research. The potential effects of these technologies on curricula involve both content and delivery. In mathematics instruction, the focus may shift from manipulative to higher order skills.…

This report contains a description of the conceptual background and methodology for a study concerning how academic tasks are managed in senior high school classrooms. This high school study is Phase 2 of the Managing Academic Tasks (MAT) study. The MAT study is focused on understanding how curriculum experiences are shaped by the classroom…

This monograph addresses the need for improved counseling services for Hispanic students in order to promote their interest in higher education, prepare them for the task of getting admitted, and help them find financial aid. This is discussed as a functional process for which school counseling personnel have primary responsibility, and it is…

This paper reports the analysis of data gathered during a six-week period in spring, 1983, in two junior high school classes in each of three subject areas: science, mathematics, and English. The purpose is to describe and propose some images or metaphors for depicting the processes associated with the enactment of tasks in these classrooms.…