In this essay, I reflect on my experiences and lessons learned while serving as Commissioner of the National Center for Special Education Research, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Although I was in the grant writing business for my nearly 30 years as a professor of special education, I learned that I knew very little…

The mission of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) is to ensure all students have access to a world-class education and quality online learning opportunities that prepare them for a lifetime of success. "The Online Learning Definitions Project" is designed to provide states, districts, online programs, and…

A professional learning plan is the navigation system for the comprehensive professional learning system. Professional learning plans establish short- and long-term guidance for professional learning and its implementation. This workbook offers information and tools to walk educators through seven planning steps--from data analysis, to setting…

With increasing accessibility to quality video recording technology, researchers and trainers can create data sets that are rich in content and application. Practical and ethical aspects of videotaping children and staff for research and teaching purposes are critical to successful use of videotaping. Taping and equipment strategies for achieving…

Reports on a 6-year study and project in Ohio that visited schools to evaluate their guidance programs, implemented revitalization ideas into 10 programs, and evaluated and disseminated the results. Presents eight essential actions for revitalizing guidance programs. (SR)

The academic and political arguments about teacher quality affect how secondary principals do their jobs. Educational research provides useful guidance about which teacher candidates may be most likely to increase student achievement, but it must be used critically and cautiously. When individuals with varying political agendas interpret the same…

This seminar guide was created by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) to assist program administrators in accessing, understanding, judging, and using research for themselves and for their staff. Professional developers may want to use this seminar in place of a regularly scheduled meeting, such as a statewide…

This, the first biennial report to Congress by the Director, as required under The Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA), describes three goals that have guided the work of the Institute and provides an overview of progress through the end of 2004. It describes the major projects carried out within each center of the Institute over the past two…

This Occasional Paper (No. 5 from the ACCLAIM Research Initiative) offers counsel for studying rural mathematics education directed at the ACCLAIM Center's first cohort of doctoral students. It discusses the scope of rural math education dissertations, motive, design, related literature, putting rural in rural education research, and the need for…

This paper, presented at the International Conference on Education for the Gifted, examines the Republic of South Africa's historical provision of education for the highly gifted as well as the present status of such service. A brief review is provided of the educational planning process and recommendations are outlined for a national system of…

The plan reviews work on projects initiated by the Office of Education and transferred to the National Institute of Education (NIE) and offers a status report on major program areas. It discusses some of the questions in career education, including the problems it addresses and efforts to date. Proposed program goals are to improve knowledge of…

Presents the results of an assessment of undergraduate courses and instruction-related services. Students answered a 148-item questionnaire concerning advising services, career services, departmental communications, research and field experiences, and departmental courses. Discusses the results and includes statistical tables of the collected…

This publication examines education at all levels in Austria. Topics discussed include the historical background of the basic system; preschool education; elementary, secondary, and higher education; special education; vocational and technical education; guidance services; teacher education; adult education; educational research; and recent…

A study was conducted to update the existing Career Interest Characterizing (CIC) instrument in terms of current career choices of students and to implement the survey instrument in the Texas secondary school counseling programs. The CIC instrument defines career interests of secondary school students and yields information of value in counseling…

This bulletin, the fifth in a series, includes brief descriptions of research projects approved by the Cooperative Research Program of the Office of Education during the fiscal year 1961. Most of the projects were negotiated into contract in fiscal year 1961; however, some were contracted in fiscal year 1962. Each description contains a statement…