Describes language use in parent-child interactions in the homes of three Puerto Rican kindergartners. Micro-ethnographic techniques were used to gather contextual data and audio tape recordings of adult-child interactions in the classroom and homes. It is suggested that teachers must identify the skills parents possess that are relevant to their…

Genuine educational reform depends on developing relationships with the home, community groups, politicians, and the business community (Seeley, 1981). This report is the third of three volumes that are products of a 3.5 year study of education reform, with a focus on the role of parent, family, and community involvement in the middle grades. The…

Experiences of pilot-test state agencies in developing an information system are summarized, as part of the State Level Information Base project. The background and functions of each of the eight pilot-test state agencies are described, along with the information systems approach, and planning responsibilities (comprehensive planning, budgeting,…

This investigation of the use of database management systems (DBMS) in a research environment used the Rand Corporation as a case study. After a general introduction in section 1, eight sections present the major components of the study. Section 2 contains an overview of DBMS terminology and concepts, followed in section 3 by a general dsecription…

The movement toward integration of qualitative and quantitative research methods within the same study has been most evident in social policy research. Four major approaches to integrating can be identified in recent studies. The sequential, the parallel, and the fused models have been rather widely used. The interactive model, developed during…

This report examines the ways that credit-based transition programs (CBTPs) may help middle- and low-achieving students enter and succeed in college. It highlights promising practices used by CBTPs to help students who might have been considered noncollege-bound prepare for college credit course work. The report also discusses the challenges that…

This research presents a case study of the first-time experience of the instructor-researcher in teaching an online class. Through thematic analysis and grounded metaphor, evolution was identified as the metaphor used to illuminate the emerging themes in creating a narrative. Advantageous and less-than-advantageous characteristics of online…

This professional development program is designed to improve the understanding of Australian personnel working in adult literacy and basic education (ALBE) of the range of approaches and methods used to achieve different evaluation purposes. It is an adaptation of "A Guide to Program Evaluation" (included here), a detailed guide for…

The use of explicit, written criteria to evaluate college and university faculty is examined. Four major issues concerning faculty evaluation are as follows: the desired outcomes of faculty evaluation; the functions of faculty activity that are to be evaluated; the criteria that should be used for each area evaluated; and the procedures for…

Results of a national study of the use of funds provided by the 1974 amendments to Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act by the state education agencies (SEAs) are presented. The study was undertaken to (1) describe and analyze SEA policies and activities regarding bilingual education, (2) describe and analyze the SEA-level…

A case study approach was used to evaluate the statewide reading improvement project in Louisiana called Special Plan Upgrading Reading (SPUR). SPUR emphasized a change agent approach by providing Technical Assistants and small stipends (approximately $5,000) to participating school districts. During the first two years of the evaluation,…

Developed as a guide for improving current procedures or initiating procedures to evaluate vocational education programs in correctional institutions, this handbook provides an introduction to and understanding of the evaluation process through the use of a case study, flowcharts, check lists, descriptions of helpful resources, and examples of…

This volume serves as an introduction to and a summary report of the project and provides a description of the context, the rationale, and the objectives of the Studies. The first five chapters describe the purposes to be served by the study, the preparations necessary to serve those purposes, the directions taken and the decisions made to…

To help students through the difficult process of transfer, many institutions nationwide have developed Transfer Centers, physical locations where students can come to learn more about the transfer process. The mission of Transfer Centers is to promote and support community college students who are seeking to transfer to four-year institutions.…

Introduction: changes in educational policy and practice demand that we examine school library programmes from a new perspective. As a model that takes a developmental view of minds in context, Cultural Historical Activity Theory is particularly well suited to the study of school libraries and the learning that occurs therein. This paper focuses…