The news series contained in this book describe educational practices that have worked well in six states. The schools studied include elementary and secondary programs in the rural North and Midwest, the urban East, and suburban and rural South. Each educational journalist selected a group of schools that were judged outstanding by scholastic or…

This report discusses the use of performance indicators (PIs) in higher education, focusing on definitions, frameworks, examples, and implications for universities. It notes that demands for accountability have led to intense interest in university performance measures, and that early indicators simply described the university or the system and…

Designed to help educators examine their current student assessment practices and ensure that assessment activities lead to real improvements, this paper lists and discusses nine principles for assessing student learning. The nine principles are: (1) the assessment of student learning begins with educational values; (2) assessment is most…

This theme issue of "Update on Gifted Education" brings together accounts of diverse efforts being made to encourage excellence and equity in schools. A dialogue with Lionel R. Meno, Commissioner of Education in Texas, stresses how services for gifted students fit into the larger picture of addressing the needs of all students, examines…

The way that remediation affects the costs and the academic quality of higher education is discussed, and approaches to dealing with these problems are addressed. Recent increases in the number of underprepared students entering college have resulted in a greater need for remedial education to prepare them for college-level work. In addition to…

Total Quality (TQ), is a customer-oriented philosophy of management that utilizes total employee involvement in the relentless, daily search for improvement of product and service quality, through the use of statistical methods, employee teams, and performance management. In the TQ framework, "internal" customers are individuals within the…

Achieving good quality in Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) training is hampered by the lack of a common definition of quality. Five ideas have been consistent in definitions: targeting programs; long-term, in-depth training; basic education; work skills training; and supportive services and guidance. A definition must include suggestions on how…

The first three steps to developing a program that is both effective and efficient are participant selection, recruitment, and assignment. They require thinking about the populations to be targeted, considering how to open the door to the population and how to get the population in the door, and determining the services that are needed. The Job…

This document consists of the three 2000 issues of The Bernard van Leer Foundation's "Early Childhood Matters." This periodical, addressed to practitioners in the field of early childhood education, evolved from an in-house publication directed to projects funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation. Articles in the February 2000 edition…

This document consists of the three 2001 issues of The Bernard van Leer Foundation's "Early Childhood Matters," a periodical addressed to practitioners in the field of early childhood education and including information on projects funded by the foundation. Articles in the February 2001 edition focus on fathers and include: (1)…

Research findings and examples of inschool suspension programs in Oregon are combined in this bulletin. An introduction defines "at-risk" students as those having behavioral or attendance problems. Unlike traditional out-of-school suspension, alternative programs attempt to keep at-risk students at school. Chapter 1 surveys three…

This monograph offers a series of questions which are intended to serve as a framework for investigating the status of arts education programs within elementary and secondary schools. It is intended as an aid to parents, educators, and other interested citizens as they evaluate and/or seek to improve arts education programs. The questions are…

The effectiveness of school-to-work (STW) in Wisconsin was examined through a review of the data from the following sources: STW implementation reports; follow-up surveys of youth apprenticeship graduates, parents, and employers; and telephone interviews with curriculum directors from 45 Wisconsin school districts. Of the practices and innovative…

This document, published annually, contains six papers devoted to aviation education. "Enhancing Global Competitiveness: Benchmarking Airline Operational Performance in Highly Regulated Environments" (Brent D. Bowen, Dean Headley, Karisa D. Kane, Rebecca K. Lutte) outlines a model to help policymakers and others evaluate the effects of…