Published twice a year and distributed nationwide, "Strategies for Success" keeps readers informed about events and developments in the field of drug testing. It reports the latest research findings on the effectiveness of drug testing as a tool for reducing substance abuse. Each issue also provides a wealth of guidance and resources on…

The justification of minimal competency programs relative to perceived educational problems, the focus on individual pupil certification and sanctioning, and the lack of clear resolution on many technical problems, give rise to a number of policy issues critical to minimal competency testing programs which are tied to graduation. Three program…

This overview of competency based education (CBE) explores some of the important policies and dimensions of CBE that go beyond the popularized notion that simple tests can be devised to make student promotion and graduation decisions or to demonstrate possession of required or desired competencies. Examined are such areas as the reasons CBE has…

Whether to adopt national standards and tests has long been a subject of lively debate in the United States. With 47 states now participating in the Common Core State Standards Initiative, and a commitment from Education Secretary Arne Duncan to allocate hundreds of millions in stimulus funds to the development of common tests, the country is…

This article attempts to provide British educators, who face a similar trend, with a synthesis of some major developments in the Accountability in Education movement in the United States. (Author/SJL)

The paper surveys a number of projects and documents that are attempting or have claimed to describe a "long-term view" of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learning in schools. A long-term approach involves mapping needs and common pathways and measuring (assessing and reporting on) progress across learners, classes, and year levels.…

Howard Gardner's view of education for the gifted in 2000 includes individual-centered schools, "intelligence-fair" testing, and mentorships and internships in the community that match students with learning opportunities, allowing them to explore career opportunities and avocations for life enrichment. (MSE)

The effect of anxiety on learning in a variety of educational contexts is reviewed in general, and two areas of anxiety research especially relevant to educational psychology are reviewed in detail. The first is test anxiety reduction programs, and the second is the outcomes of these programs and the interaction between anxiety and instructional…

The handbook reviews the history and current state of the art of special education for exceptional bilingual students and provides approaches for development of programs. Ties between bilingual and exceptional education are traced historically; then legislation to assure equal opportunity is reviewed. Definitions, characteristics, and special…

This information is intended for health professionals interested in implementing aerobic exercise programs in public schools, institutions of higher learning, and business and industry workplaces. The papers are divided into three general sections. The introductory section presents a basis for adhering to a health fitness lifestyle, using…

This report updates information on a previous synthesis of information currently available on the development of educational outcomes and a system of indicators for students with disabilities. Specifically, it provides information on the key national policy groups involved in outcomes-related activities and on key reports that have been produced…

This review is intended to assist guidance counselors, vocational and special education teachers, administrators, researchers, and vocational education evaluators in making decisions about implementing or improving vocational assessment programs. In the introduction, the legislative mandate for and history of vocational assessment of special…

Resulting from a project involving district, state, and federal educational agencies, the papers in this, the first of two volumes, are intended to provide information from research and practice that can help school districts in their efforts to make decisions about goals and methods of basic skills instruction. The topics of the papers in the…

During the 1982-83 school year the Spencerport (New York) Central School District began a comprehensive project to study the effective schools research and its implications at all levels of a suburban school system. A leadership planning team (consisting of teachers, principals, and district personnel) participated in a series of workshops and…

Major themes that dominate institutional support for teaching are addressed by representatives of large research-oriented institutions of higher education that form the "Panel on Research and Development of Instructional Resources." The Panel is composed of the Big Ten universities and the University of Chicago. Contents are as follows: "The Panel…