This study presents a strategic review of the current quality and effectiveness of more than 40 online professional development (OPD) sites for teachers of mathematics. The evidence gathered about this relatively new form of professional development was compared with evidence on the quality and effectiveness of traditional face-to-face…

The Public Law Research Institute at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, with whom the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) forged a partnership to research, analyze, and make sound recommendations regarding an accountability structure, provides an excellent opportunity for CPEC regarding federal and state…

This study compared ISTEP+ (Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress) writing test scores before the implementation of a writing improvement program with ISTEP+ writing test scores. The study was conducted two years after such a program was implemented. Data from two groups was collected for this comparison. The first group used was the…

In 1991, the first data-based analysis of the condition of public education was published, countering a prevalent view that the U.S. education system was verging on collapse. Subsequent reports followed, seven of which appear here. The reports contend that schools are about as effective as they have even been--although the population they serve…

Studied 340 former inmates of two reform schools. One school emphasized psychological treatment; the other school stressed harsh punishment. Results suggested that "milieu therapy" works in adolescence, but has no discernible effect after age 24. Ethnicity had a powerful effect on recidivism. (JAC)

Three alternative secondary education programs that emphasized individualized instruction and social support for students were found to be influential in reducing disruptive behavior and improving the academic performance of students who were about to be expelled or suspended from school. Social psychological processes that led to program…

A study comparing the performances and preferences of college statistics students in streamed and mixed-ability groups revealed that both types of class organization are workable, but students prefer varied abilities in small work groups. (AM)

Outlines six contemporary self-directed placement techniques, reviews research literature regarding these techniques, and provides guidelines regarding which self-placement technique rehabilitation professionals may choose. The Job Club and JOBS program were the most expensive and effective models and can be used with a greater variety of clients.…

Comparative data are gathered on (1) the institutional and nontransferrable fellow awards and (2) individual and portable awards of the Danforth Fellowship program. Results indicate that students attending elite universities will overwhelm their competitors in a national competition that is academically oriented and that open competition does not…

The effectiveness of computer aided instruction (CAI) is compared with that of videotaped instruction in the teaching of diacritical markings to postsecondary deaf students. Data indicate that cognitive skills were well taught by CAI in a short time without requiring teacher or student time in class. The TV version did not teach well. (CT)

Examines some of the conditions needed for developing quality relations between social workers and foster carers in the realm of practical organization and in terms of individual qualities such as reliability, honesty, empathy and warmth. Looks at how social services and social work departments, in voluntary and statutory sectors, organize their…

Data from the High School and Beyond study were used to investigate the comprehensiveness of programs in mathematics, science, and foreign language in large and small high schools. Large schools offered more comprehensive programs than did smaller schools, but there was substantial variation in comprehensiveness at any school size. (SLD)

Examines programs in Montreal, Canada, that offer microcomputing training--traditional private courses as well as an experimental, neighborhood-oriented "popular laboratory." Finds that both are used by men to advance their careers but that women use them to catch up and survive economically in a transformed workplace. (SR)

Discusses the contexts where virtual reality (VR) training environments might be appropriate; examines the advantages and disadvantages of VR as a training technology; and presents a case study of a VR training environment used at the NASA Johnson Space Center in preparation for the repair of the Hubble Space Telescope. (AEF)

A study compared college student income and cost of living (housing, food, and some additional expenses) in relation to income at Leeds Polytechnic and five other geographically diverse British institutions. The study was undertaken to assess the need for and impact of a new national student loan program. (MSE)