Issues in evaluating the quality and effectiveness of student services for a new population of students are examined, including: the place of student development; basic services; the relationship of services to institutional mission; faculty, curriculum, and academic environment; defining quality; student information systems; and the relationship…

A recently-implemented university technology transfer program is described and discussed, including the context, elements required for technology transfer, federal patent policy, university policies and organization, the operating model, early results, university-industry interactions, and anticipated benefits to the university and industry. A…

There is a general agreement that academic standards in Papua New Guinea high schools are below those in many other countries. This paper will examine this problem generally and also in relation to the teaching of mathematics and science. At Goroka Teachers' College, which is the only teacher training college for secondary school teachers in Papua…

Early childhood education has received an increasing amount of attention in the last two decades in the United States and in other countries. There is now a strong consensus on the many benefits of preschool. Studies have shown that attending a high-quality preschool program not only increases children's readiness for kindergarten, but also causes…

Since the inception of the School-to-Work Project in 1998, networks members have increasingly viewed credible evidence as critical to both their approaches to program improvement and their strategies for winning and sustaining support and resources. This issue brief: (1) Describes the activities Network members have pursued together during…

Recently, policy makers have begun to insist on evidence showing whether public investment in programs for children has achieved its desired results. No longer will it be sufficient to show that programs are meeting established standards for practice or that families are satisfied with services. Data are needed to show that services are effective.…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a project that provided an intensive 1-year training program for teachers working with students with emotional or behavior disorders. Forty-seven teachers (27 from under-represented populations) from the Nashville (Tennessee) Public School System were recruited and trained. All…

The report details the activities of the Virginia Assessment Study Group in documenting the utility of various approaches to assessing adult education programs and instruction within the state. A group of diverse practitioners convened during 1997 to establish project objectives and research questions and to report on their work. The reports of…

According to the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), the primary purpose of an ACCJC-accredited institution is to foster learning in its students. This paper presents ACCJC's four accreditation standards: (1) Institutional Mission and Effectiveness--the institution provides means for students to learn, assesses…

How do effective programs deliver academic content? Can after-school programs help students master a broader base of content? What strategies can help programs and systems deliver content effectively? What is realistic to expect of programs? Program content is closely linked with our understandings about the purpose of after-school programming.…

This report takes a global look at the structural changes taking place in the 72 small schools that were created from 17 comprehensive high schools in Washington State. It also discusses the challenges conversion schools face when they operate with a foot in two worlds -- trying to realize the benefits of small while, in many ways, still operating…

Rising college enrollment may put college attendance in direct competition with the reserve components. Individuals can easily join a reserve unit while attending college because reservists are generally only obligated to drill one weekend per month and two weeks during the summer. However, reserve participation entails an increasingly high risk…

Rising college enrollment may put college attendance in direct competition with the reserve components. Individuals can easily join a reserve unit while attending college because reservists are generally only obligated to drill one weekend per month and two weeks during the summer. However, reserve participation entails an increasingly high risk…

The American Institutes for Research's (AID's) International Development Program (IDP) seeks to enhance the capacity of developing countries to improve the quality of life through education and social development. Its work is based on a strong belief in the transformative power of education--that by providing children the opportunity to learn and…

This report describes a practicum designed to integrate limited-English-speaking students into the mainstream school community. The setting was a private secondary school enrolling 18 students from Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Taiwan. The project had four components intended to guide students of English as a Second Language (ESL) toward fuller…