Presents a simulated dialog that explores the issues surrounding the terms and concepts of "training needs assessment" and contrasts those with "needs assessment." Needs, needs analysis, and training requirements analysis are defined, and it is concluded that needs assessment is a better term than training needs assessment.…

Discusses how making information technology (IT) transformation an overt higher education institutional goal, as opposed to a by-product of other processes, allows true progress. Describes such efforts at the University of Central Florida. (EV)

Describes the Quality Improvement Program developed by Florida Power and Light's Nuclear Training organization that was awarded the Deming Application Prize for quality control. Training quality, team activities, training's role in business planning, customer involvement and evaluation, and continuous improvement of training are discussed. (LRW)

This commentary is intended to start a conversation on ethical behavior in the marketing of our work, with a special focus on the issues that arise when marketing technology and related services. The general literature on marketing ethics suggests that marketers have more relaxed ethical values than the general public. Therefore, ethics should be…

This report discusses professional development projects that are currently funded by the Improving Teacher Quality (ITQ) State Grants Program, including representative projects that will be presented to the Commission at the June meeting. In addition, the ITQ program has recently released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for grants that serve early…

The research evidence suggests that strong instructional leaders greatly can impact teaching and learning. There also is increasing recognition that instructional coaches can play an effective role in improving classroom-level practices. A natural way for school leaders to take on the role of instructional leader is to serve as a "chief" coach for…

Shared databases are used for knowledge exchange in groups. Whether a person is willing to contribute knowledge to a shared database presents a social dilemma: Each group member saves time and energy by not contributing any information to the database and by using the database only to retrieve information which was contributed by others. But if…

In this era of accountability, schools are challenged to leave no child behind, which includes making schools more responsive to students' needs. For many multicultural learners, the noble ideal of leaving no child behind has not yielded the desired dividends in general and special education. The processes of identification, assessment,…

Since funding is not always available for the basic instructional programs, let alone the special programs needed to ensure that every student will make adequate yearly progress (AYP), many campuses and school districts are turning to grants. In the short term, grants are wonderful things that enable educators to build programs to meet the…

In light of the widespread recognition of the enduring challenge of enhancing the learning of all students--including a growing number of students representing diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds--there has been an explosion of literature on teaching, learning, and assessment in higher education. Notwithstanding scores of…

This publication summarizes the status of Maryland public education in 2008 and considers upcoming challenges. Highlights of the report include: (1) Maryland classrooms continue to be comprised of minority-majority enrollment; (2) High school graduation rate tops 85 percent; (3) Scores on the Maryland School Assessment continue to rise; (4)…

This 2-page resource describes the benefits of afterschool programs for children, youth, and families, including evidence of improved school attendance and engagement learning, improved test scores and grades, and students at greatest risk showing the greatest gains. Additional benefits of afterschool programs include keeping kids safe, healthy,…

This article features an innovative project called the "Teacher Learning Center" (TLC) that is jointly funded by the South Dakota Department of Education, Black Hills State University (BHSU), and the Spearfish School District in Spearfish, South Dakota. The purpose of this project was to provide opportunities for preservice and new…

Over the past decade there has been increasing concern with aid effectiveness, and, more generally, development effectiveness. New ways of delivering aid have been developed, including sector-wide approaches and direct budget support. This paper reports on the progress that has been made through some of these new modalities of aid to education, as…

This paper analyses how countries in UNICEF's East Asia and Pacific Region (EAPR) have engaged in the Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS) process. ELDS has been developed by the governments of Cambodia, China, Fiji, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam over the last 3 years with technical and financial support from…