Noting that the emphasis in writing instruction over the past 40 years has shifted from product to process, this digest reviews the course and the primary features of this evolution from 1960-1999. The digest's first section discusses the move from writing product to writing process in the 1970s and 1980s, noting the groundswell of support for…

Alternative forms of evaluating student progress are changing testing or assessment in U.S. schools. From the teacher-made to the standardized test, the familiar over-emphasis on multiple-choice items is giving way to expanded generative formats in which students are called upon to demonstrate mastery through applications in which they use complex…

This digest describes faculty and staff development as crucial elements for institutional effectiveness and quality. These programs allow faculty to improve instructional material, keep abreast of new technology and methods, and network with colleagues. When change takes place, perhaps through reorganization, restructuring, or a change in…

This digest provides a process for assuring that the unique needs of students who are gifted are addressed within the context of systemic educational reform. Several key elements guide the process: creating belief statements, clarifying the issues, and designing strategies for implementation. Generating belief statements based on what is believed…

This document argues that current efforts to establish a national test to measure progress toward the nation's educational goals will inhibit, rather than advance, educational reform. Proponents of a national test have asked for single, primarily multiple-choice tests, or for performance assessments to measure progress toward the nation's…

In the prevailing and traditional definition, literacy is regarded as central to helping people obtain and retain employment, which is the key to moving them from dependency toward greater self-sufficiency. Another, more valid perspective is the view that literacy is not just the acquisition of reading and writing skills but is also a social…

Research has suggested that many adults choose not to participate in available literacy programs because they equate literacy education with school. Two new directions in adult literacy program development are being explored in an effort to make programs more appealing to nonparticipants. The first is connected to program content and the second…

This digest summarizes the results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) as they relate to the interests of K-12 science teachers. TIMSS student achievement results for science are presented along with a brief discussion of how to interpret the scores. The findings of the TIMSS curriculum study and their implications are…

From its beginnings in 1906, cooperative education has evolved into a program offered at the secondary and postsecondary levels in two predominant models: (1) students complete multiple cycles of equal periods of academic coursework and paid employment; and (2) students' school day is split between school (usually in the morning) and work (usually…

Distance education (DE) is increasingly seen as a powerful vehicle for delivering various types of education, including career and technical education (CTE). Fast-paced, pervasive changes in the economic, social, and technological foundations of education and educational delivery, including the increasing use of information and communications…