Over the years, a number of interventions aimed at increasing student engagement and performance have been implemented in higher education. Some of these, labeled high-impact practices (HIPs), when done well, have led to documented evidence of student success. Two approaches that have been identified as HIPs--first-year seminars and learning…

This compilation includes materials celebrating the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Department of Education's Federal TRIO programs. The Federal TRIO programs were named such in 1968 after a trio of programs designed to foster increased educational opportunity and attainment: Upward Bound, Talent Search, and Student Support Services. Since 1968, the…

TIMSS measures trends in mathematics and science achievement at the fourth and eighth grades in participating countries around the world, while also monitoring curricular implementation and identifying promising instructional practices. Conducted on a regular 4-year cycle, TIMSS has assessed mathematics and science in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, and…

School leaders are increasingly called upon to pursue meaningful partnerships with families and community groups, yet many leaders are unprepared to meet the challenges of partnerships, to cross cultural boundaries, or to be accountable to the community. Alliances are needed among educators, families, and community groups that value relationship…

Schools committed to the success of all children must have an array of activities designed to address barriers to learning. This introductory packet contains some aids to help school staff find new ways of thinking about how schools should assess barriers to learning. The following items are included in the packet: (1) a chart of "Barriers to…

The special issue with 21 articles reports a study by the Central Institute of the Deaf (Missouri) to design a small, "ideal" program for elementary age deaf children, given the condition that cost, staff, materials, and space were no problems. (SB)

What does it look like when a school uses data wisely? "Data Wise in Action", a new companion and sequel to the bestselling "Data Wise", tells the stories of eight very different schools following the Data Wise process of using assessment results to improve teaching and learning. "Data Wise in Action" highlights the…

The 24 chapters of this collection discuss contemporary approaches to using student learning gains to evaluating teachers or schools. The four methods considered are: (1) the Oregon Teacher Work Sample Methodology (chapters 2 through 6); (2) the Dallas Value-Added Accountability System (Texas) (chapters 7 through 11); (3) the Tennessee Value-Added…

In recent years, social programs for the poor have lost the support of the American public. This book describes some of the very best programs and documents their benefits, demonstrating that we can, in fact, make substantial progress in the fight against educational failure, family dissolution, violent crime, substance abuse, unemployment, and…

Presented is a compilation of materials concerning the Augusta College Humanities Program in Augusta, Georgia, beginning with a brief description of the program and its background. In 1984, the college began a 2.5-year project to revitalize and strengthen its required sophomore level three course humanities sequence (Greece and Rome, the Middle…

Noting that in practice, educational research highlighting the negative effects of tracking and ability grouping is often ignored, this book examines the implications of tracking and presents alternatives to this instructional policy. Divided into four sections, the chapters discuss tracking as a systematic barrier to all children, explore the…

Since its inception in 1988, the Board on International Comparative Studies in Education (BICSE) has monitored U.S. participation in those cross national comparative studies in education that are funded by its sponsors, the National Science Foundation and the National Center for Education Statistics. This set of international study descriptions…

Originally developed as part of a project for the Department of Defense Schools (DoDDS) system, this learning package on reading programs for gifted readers is designed for teachers who wish to upgrade or expand their teaching skills on their own. The package includes an overview of the project; a comprehensive search of the ERIC database; a…

The theme issue of the journal contains 30 articles concerning educational strategies and initiatives designed to strengthen the preparation and recruitment of students for medical education. Most of the articles describe specific programs at the elementary, secondary, higher, and graduate education levels. Others explore aspects of medical…

This collection of papers represents the reading, writing, film-viewing, and discussion exercises that were the center of a 5-week research institute held in North Carolina for educators from the Isaac Dickson Elementary School and the University of North Carolina, Asheville. The papers are (1) "A Model for Staff Development in Multiculturalism"…