Increasingly, undergraduate institutions are incorporating original research into the curriculum as a matter of best practice. However, while the practice of science has grown more collaborative, undergraduate research has remained largely confined to single-institution studies. Incorporating long-term, distributed research projects into the…

The federal government increasingly expects child welfare systems to be more responsive to the needs of their local populations, connect strategies to results, and use continuous quality improvement (CQI) to accomplish these goals. A method for improving decision making, CQI relies on an inflow of high-quality data, up-to-date research evidence,…

Across the United States, teachers and teacher educators are facing increased accountability for improved student achievement. Using assessment results to inform instruction provides a catalyst to improve student outcomes and is a key skill for preservice teacher candidates. The process of data-based decision making is integral to performance…

Home visiting is one tool used to prevent child abuse and improve child well-being by providing education and services in families' homes through parent education and connection to community resources. This toolkit provides state policymakers and advocates with strategies for extending and expanding access to state- or federally-funded home…

Innovation may best be considered as reinvention rather than invention. This observation is supported by a gradually accelerating change in "how" professional learning and development (PLD) for education practitioners and leaders is being offered, designed, facilitated, and evaluated. The reinvention of PLD includes shifts towards…

The Hint Factory is an implementation of our novel method to automatically generate hints using past student data for a logic tutor. One disadvantage of the Hint Factory is the time needed to gather enough data on new problems in order to provide hints. In this paper we describe the use of expert sample solutions to "seed" the hint generation…

This paper describes the confirmatory factor analysis, validity, and reliability data collection stage of the development of a scale to measure mainstream teachers' self-efficacy beliefs for teaching ELL (English Language Learner) students. Data were collected from 708 K through 12 teachers and pre-service teachers with varying degrees of…

Results-based management (RBM) is an approach to programme planning and management that integrates strategy, people, resources, processes and measurements to improve decision-making, transparency and accountability. The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) began the adoption of a RBM model with its 2003-2006 Three-Year Plan. This led to a significantly…

Describes a model project at Fort Hays State University in which college students gather basic research data from older adults during summer vacations in their hometowns. Examples of successful projects and constraints on the implementation of such a model are discussed. (JAC)

Describes a needs assessment model which can be used by grass-roots organizations to collect socioeconomic and demographic data in Hispanic and other ethnic-minority communities. (CM)

Evaluability assessment is a descriptive and analytic process intended to produce a reasoned basis for proceeding with an evaluation of use to both management and policymakers. It was jointly developed by the members of the program evaluation group of the Urban Institute between 1968 and 1978. The approach begins by obtaining management's…

The article discusses the provisions and intent of Title II of the Education Amendments Act of 1976 relating to job placement and employer satisfaction. In evaluating the success of vocational education programs student and employer follow-up data will play an important part. (MF)

This final report describes activities of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) in a 3-year collaboration with the ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education to acquire information on model programs within the ERIC database for access by ERIC clients. AASCU members frequently need information on model programs and since…

The need to evaluate educational programs is briefly addressed, and the application of the Discrepancy Evaluation Model (DEM) at a hypothetical residential school for the visually handicapped is described. (Author/SW)

The final report reviews a public service administration internship program for 33 gifted and talented Montgomery County (Maryland) high school juniors and seniors. Learner and process objectives, minor changes, and the dissemination plan are presented for the program which utilizes the internship model developed by Executive High School…