As state governments and the public demand greater accountability from community and technical colleges, increasing focus is placed on the concept of assessing student academic achievement. To be effective, assessment processes should provide institutions with information that helps develop specific plans for improving operations. While processes…

This paper presents an extensive review of the current literature related to the use of performance-based assessment in the preparation of teachers, and includes references to the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Curriculum (INTASC) and the Arkansas standards for licensure of beginning teachers. The paper also describes the use of…

This paper examines the conceptualization and design of the Pennsylvania Audiographics Distance Education Project's (PADEP) Life Skills and Drug Education Course, and discusses the successes and difficulties of the project based on results from formative evaluation. Educators from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, developed new courses that could be…

The solution to the problem of violence in the schools lies not only in the protection of students, but the prevention of aggressive, antisocial behavior. This monograph is designed to help schools build a violence-prevention program from the ground up. Following the introduction, chapter 1 discusses how the causes and consequences of violence in…

This study analyzed the demographic and scholastic characteristic differences between a nontraditional and traditional student cohort (total n=11,878) at Ferris State University (FSU) in Michigan, identified (through literature reviews) successful recruiting and retention activities for nontraditional students at other postsecondary educational…

This report provides a synthesis of information currently available on the development of educational outcomes and a system of indicators for students with disabilities. An overview summarizes activities of the National Center on Educational Outcomes in the areas of model development, survey of state practice, information exchange, solutions to…

Program planners considering developing mentoring programs must first consider mentoring's place in the development of career identification/choice and must establish performance standards for mentoring services in career development. Even in the most superficial or limited mentoring experiences, mentors and youths participate in a series of…

Although the emphasis on adult literacy/basic education is increasing, the high dropout rate from programs in these areas is a concern. Why learners choose to participate or not to participate in such programs can be understood in terms of three sets of factors. Learner-inherent factors include self-evaluation, goals, and capabilities. Life…

This report proposes a design for teacher training, and for research and development in teaching and learning, that seeks to capitalize on the diversity and adaptivity of teaching and learning in the real world. Chapter I provides an overview of teacher education in the context of educational concerns at large. It discusses the processes of…

With the decline of manufacturing, industry faces the layoff of many low-skilled workers and a shortage of skilled workers. To fill the gap, workers will need more skills, often those not taught in schools. Language minority individuals are most affected by these changes. The situation has brought a new political focus on the role of vocational…

One of a series of technical papers prepared for the advisory panel of the Head Start Evaluation Design Project, this paper presents information about national Head Start goals, program participants, and the Head Start delivery system. The four stages of Head Start's evolution are described in terms of changes in the characteristics of…

Teacher improvement programs must comply with federal and state constitutional requirements for due process, equal protection, and freedom of speech, as well as state and federal laws covering collective bargaining, civil rights, and the authority to institute improvement programs. This booklet explores these legal considerations, focusing on…

This project was conducted to determine how best to serve the needs of rural vocational education students in Arizona. The study examined the literature on delivering instruction in such a manner that graduates of all vocational programs have equal opportunity, equal access, and equal competitiveness in the marketplace. Problems in supplying…

Dean's Grant Projects (DGPs) provided both the financial impetus for adapting teacher education programs to meet the challenges of mainstreaming handicapped students into regular classrooms and the arena for the discussion of different approaches to the institution of necessary changes. This book presents 13 papers written by educators experienced…

Providing information on the issue of merit pay for teachers, this booklet covers reasons for adopting merit-pay programs, examples of such programs now operating, definitions of types of programs, indications of why some programs have failed, and steps for developing a successful program. Noting the lagging pay of teachers and inadequacies of…