Increasing costs and decreasing numbers of university Extension faculty have made it difficult to provide quality turfgrass short course education. In response, faculty from nine institutions collaborated to develop the Great Lakes School of Turfgrass Science. This 12-week online course provides students with unique learning experiences through a…

Language education policy has been a controversial and ongoing issue throughout the U.S., particularly in the state of Texas. This paper reports on a frame analysis of the five bills that amended the Texas Education Code to implement or expand bilingual education and English as a second language programs. Analysis focused on problems and solutions…

There is an increasing literature pertaining to student achievement and school productivity. This session will present school and classroom strategies used in high school science classes at Robert E. Lee High School (5A) in Tyler, Texas. This year, 84% of the students at Lee passed the science TAKS test. Lee is also ranked in the top 1500 high…

Higher education has become more accessible than ever before, although students from some demographic groups still face challenges in attending college. To help improve access to higher education for minority and low-income students, Titles III and V of the Higher Education Act, as amended, provide grants to strengthen and support institutions…

A recently developed and state-validated model of school evaluation and program development is now being used in 174 Texas school districts. The Learner-Based Accountability System (LBAS) is a model for school evaluation and program development geared toward the improvement of school practices. The 11 components of the system incorporate the…

Results of a national survey of schools and departments of education, undertaken in 1981 by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education on attitudes of teacher educators on extended teacher education programs, indicated a general skepticism about their effectiveness. A similar survey was conducted of educators in Texas. A five-item,…

This paper reports an overview of Project FOLLOW-UP, whose purpose was to develop, test, and validate a statewide management information system for follow-up of Texas public junior and community college students. The system designed is for use by machine or manual processing and is thus useful to small and large institutions while interfacing with…

This case study describes the evolution of a center of pedagogy in El Paso, Texas, to prepare teachers in and for exemplary schools, sustain dialogue among partners, pursue the center's agenda, and critique and revise the undertaking. The paper provides a historical context, examining the role of state public policy and outside grant funding and…

The paper describes a 5-year longitudinal study of a Texas school district's implementation of an individualized mainstream special education program. "Plan A" program activities and outcomes are reported for five phases (sample subtopics in parentheses): initiation in one high school, one junior high school and eight elementary schools…

A survey of the presidents and chief student personnel administrators at 54 Texas community college campuses was conducted in 1977 to determine if the Tomorrow's Higher Education Project (THE) model for student personnel programs could be implemented at the college level and whether such implementation would improve student personnel programs at…

The paper focuses on coordination of an educational program for non-ambulatory cerebral palsied and profoundly retarded clients (21 years old and younger) in a residential setting not being served by the Texas Education Department. Covered in outline form are the school's requirements governing educational programs, program development,…

As the population of minority pupils continues to increase, the need for special education personnel to identify and educate culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional students will also rise. Continuing shortages of qualified personnel in special education have been declared a national emergency, with "diagnostic staff" ranked as…

This document on state-level planning for education in Texas by the Texas Education Agency consists of two papers. The first focuses on the long-range plan of the State Board of Education for Texas public school education. The paper summarizes this plan, describes the process by which it was developed, and analyzes the status of its implementation…

The Texas Agricultural Extension Service (TAEX) Literacy Initiative has three major components: literacy awareness, cooperation and coordination with other state agencies and organizations, and programmatic responses. During 1991, the TAEX Literacy Initiative addressed the literacy awareness component through these activities: writing a research…

How the "Levels of Program Objectives Model" (LPOM) can be used to carry out objectives-based evaluation is explained. The LPOM explains the relationship between an instructional program of a district and various programs supporting the district program. The evolution of an objective-based evaluation approach within the context of an…