A planning model to improve performance in generating positive terminations of Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) participants is described. Sponsors can improve performance by selecting participants with particular characteristics and altering types of services. This approach is useful for any social services which result in…

To investigate performance patterns on strands of the mathematics curriculum, locally developed criterion-referenced benchmark tests were administered to all kindergarten through fourth graders in the Minneapolis public schools. Total test scores and strand scores were analyzed by ethnic group, gender, and socioeconomic status. (Author/BS)

Because of the dramatic changes in the education climate of school districts, the so-called schoolmaster, like the dinosaur, has vanished and the plenipotentiary school administrator, who the public now perceives as the school's chief executive officer (CEO), has emerged. A school administrator is not merely an education leader. Rather, like a…

This paper, second in a series of papers on alternative education, examines the academic programming in alternative education programs by reviewing the literature specifically focused on the academic programs in alternative education and summarizing a survey of fifteen alternative education programs. It suggests options for further research on…

Today there is a growing belief that everyone who wants access to college can have it. College enrollments have continued to grow for over half a century and now it can be argued that most American families dream of a college education for their children. A 2003 report by the Education Commission of the States (ECS) demonstrates there is a growing…

In this chapter, Stefan LoBuglio discusses the politics and practices of educational programs for adults in correctional facilities. To begin, LoBuglio provides an overview of the field of corrections, including various types of facilities and correctional programs, as well as demographic and educational data on the U.S. incarcerated population…

This report updates and summarizes what is known from research on the effects of test accommodations for students with disabilities and also provides direction to the design of critically needed future research on accommodations. A review was conducted of 46 empirical research studies on accommodations published from 1999 through 2001. The…

Controversy surrounding the accountability movement is related to how the movement began in response to dissatisfaction with public schools. Opponents see it as one-sided, somewhat mean-spirited, and a threat to the professional status of teachers. Supporters argue that all other spheres of the workplace have accountability systems and that the…

This final report describes a project to develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate a framework, the James Madison University (JMU) Active Learner Approach, for course-specific strategy assessment and tutorial instruction for 46 college students with learning disabilities or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Individual sections address…

Several years after the passage of NCLB, there are persistently low-performing schools in every state that face increasingly strong consequences for failing to improve student achievement sufficiently. In particular, schools that fail to make AYP for five consecutive years must engage in restructuring to improve student learning. Districts have…

This paper was prepared for the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment and Training Taskforce on Teacher Quality & Educational Leadership. It covers the following broad areas: (1) How can a national definition of "Good Teaching" be developed, and what should it include?; (2) What should a "National Standards…

States have taken a variety of approaches in the development of their alternate assessments and the policies and procedures that support them. This has resulted not only in alternate assessments that differ from state to state in their characteristics, but also in variations in the characteristics and percentages of students who are targeted for…

Chapter 1 of this document examines the need for alternative education among vulnerable youth by reviewing the numbers and characteristics of youth who disconnect from mainstream developmental pathways in various ways. The second chapter examines the question of "what is an alternative education school or program" and draws on a variety…

Some parents have chosen to delay their children's enrollment in kindergarten by a year because of individual differences in the pace and pattern of children's development. In other situations, some schools recommend delaying a child's school entry based on "readiness" testing or require that some kindergartners attend kindergarten for a…

Participants in a conference held by the National Center for Research in Vocational Education discussed the relationship between academic and industry skill standards and reached consensus in several central areas. Arguments for better coordination between academic and technical standards were as follows: integrated skills are needed in new, more…