This report explores effects of a year-round schedule on pupil and teacher attendance in the Jefferson County, Colorado, School District. Information is drawn from a 1977 district study and from interviews with teachers and principals. Comparison of data on attendance before the program and after its first year found that attendance increased in…

This report contains five papers with discussions identifying policy and research issues in rural labor markets, assessing the adequacy of existing data and theories for researching these issues, and assigning priorities to research questions. The papers focus on rural economic goals, market linkages with metropolitan, national, and international…

This paper focuses on the philosophical implications of assessment methodologies by describing problems that occurred during internship programs for school administrators in Louisiana. A state conference internship's guidelines lacked a formalized learning contract for participants. At the time, more teachers sought access to administrative…

A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the degree to which teacher training programs in 4-year public colleges and universities include rural education as part of their teacher education program. Questionnaires were mailed to college of education deans and chairpersons at each of the 473 4-year public colleges and universities in the…

Although the research base on teaching, learning, and effective schools has expanded, the results of that research have been implemented only to a limited degree, either in the classroom or in the training of teachers. One of the accusations that have frequently been made against teacher education is that it does not use a theoretical,…

There is general agreement that the current teaching of secondary science is not as good as it should be. Different critics identify different weaknesses, but there is agreement that students are not learning how scientists make knowledge claims and use this knowledge. This paper assumes that one powerful influence on the development of teachers…

This study addressed whether the educational impact of a zoo visit can be enhanced through the provision of appropriate instructional supports such as preparatory trainings or orientations. One important function of the educational process, in contrast to providing direct information or skill development, is to make the learner more sensitive to…

The study reported in this paper quantitatively integrated the recent research findings on ability grouping in order to generalize about these effects on student achievement and student self-concept. Meta-analysis was used to statistically integrate the empirical data. The relationships among various experimental variables including grade level,…

The development of an information system to help College of Education faculty at Florida State University campuses determine the criteria and procedures for awarding merit pay is described. Faculty groups need information that address both the objectives of individual faculty members and institutional goals. Data needed from the following five…

This document summarizes the proceedings of Head Start's Sixth National Research Conference on early childhood and family research. The first part of these proceedings compiles presentations from special sessions, including plenary sessions on promoting young childrens eagerness to learn in educational settings, self-regulation, and policies and…

This collection of 20 papers is aimed at researchers, research students, and research supervisors interested in qualitative research into facilitated adult learning in the workplace, formal education programs, professional development, and community settings. "Introduction" (Willis) provides a summary of the papers. "Qualitative…

Examines a visual art program for at-risk students that attempts to increase self-esteem, stimulate inquiry, and develop critical thinking through art criticism and self- expression. Summarizes the responses of 11 at-risk students and 35 general education college students to the question, "What is art?" (MJP)

Examines the efforts, in four European countries, to increase the professionalization of teacher training. France recently elevated the status of teachers to civil servants and strengthened certification procedures. Germany retains a high degree of academic excellence and professional training. England and Wales have increased local autonomy and…

Examines the role of women's literary societies in the United States during the first half of the 17th century. The reading societies provided a space for intellectual growth, companionship, and support. They also created a pre-feminist role model of a literate and competent woman, the "learned woman." (MJP)

Examines the various reasons for the rise of Botswana, from one of the poorest countries in the world circa 1966, to its current position of relative prosperity. A prime ingredient in this progress was the incorporation of external aid into a stable system defined by a cohesive ethnic identity. (MJP)