Throughout most of the 20th century, vocational programs focused primarily on job skills and served students who were either struggling in an academic program or were not seen as "college material." In the early 1990s that emphasis began to shift. The adoption of more rigorous academic standards for all students, combined with increases…

For many years the school system in the United States has measured success by the number of dollars spent, computers and textbooks purchased, and programs created. Moreover, the measures of success have not focused on academic achievement. Since 1965, American taxpayers have spent more than $321 billion in federal funds on kindergarten through…

As many as two in five recent high school graduates say that there are gaps between the education they received in high school and the overall skills, abilities, and work habits that are expected of them today in college and in the work force. The majority of college students and high school graduates without a college degree say that they have…

This publication was created to help eighth-grade students make a successful transition to high school and begin looking at college and career options. Topics covered in the booklet include: (1) Making the transition to high school; (2) Meeting state academic standards; (3) Taking the courses needed to complete high school and to meet college…

Most validity studies of ISLLC standards and indicators rely heavily on focus groups and perceptual surveys. This study included self-report and observational data on principals' use of time. A content analysis tested ISLLC's descriptions of instructional leadership with a related set of Kentucky's Standards and Indicators for School Improvement…

This final report and appended conference proceedings describe activities of the Earth Math project, a 3-year effort at Kennesaw State University (Georgia) to broaden and disseminate the concept of Earth Algebra to precalculus and mathematics education courses. Major outcomes of the project were the draft of a precalculus textbook now being…

The first four volumes, comprised of newsletters published during the period of August 1992-January 1996, of the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) include articles on: the origins, aims, activities, and membership of the organization; conference activities; development of language testing standards and procedures; guidelines for…

This paper discusses changes in England's teacher education, using data from interviews, literature, and observation. The research examined how teachers and teacher educators responded to sweeping changes imposed on schools and education following the Education Reform Act of 1988. Both the United States and England experience significant criticism…

This booklet presents Wisconsin's Model Academic Standards in the area of English language arts at grades 4, 8, and 12. The content and performance standards represent the best thinking of language educators and interested members of the public. They were drawn from two years of work in Wisconsin's standards development projects, from the Modern…

This report to Congress analyzes student loan default rates at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), focusing on student characteristics which may predict the likelihood of default. The study examined available student databases for characteristics identified by previous studies as related to level of student loan defaults. Among…

This technical report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1996 State Assessment Program in Mathematics presents fourth- and eighth-grade cross-state results of the NAEP 1996 State Assessment in mathematics. However, no interpretations of the data are included. This report does include the revised results from comparable…

Washington's Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (WTECB) conducted research to identify components that constitute a content definition of career development by relating history, defining nomenclature, identifying issues, and describing the various approaches to such standards. Past efforts to establish academic and career…

This report presents the results of a three-year educational partnership that supports a unique interdisciplinary team approach to professional development. The Sage Colleges collaborated with two school districts to enable educators to align content and standards; draw upon a bank of assessment vehicles, questions, and assignments; create…

This report presents the results of a three-year educational partnership that supports a unique interdisciplinary team approach to professional development. The Sage Colleges collaborated with two school districts (City School District of Albany and Niskayuna Central School District) to enable educators to align content and standards; draw upon a…

The state of Colorado has set high standards for students based on three fundamental principles: safety, civility, and literacy. How these standards were integrated into the schools is the subject of this report. It opens with an overview of the foundations of academic success and the process involved in implementing standards-based education. The…