This document is the first volume in a 5-part series that reports the results of a project undertaken to critically review and analyze major longitudinal studies of child and student development. These studies were conducted to discover the variables, techniques, methodologies, and problems pertinent to evaluative studies of the effects of schools…

The summary report of the Interdisciplinary Model Programs in the Arts for Children and Teachers (IMPACT) is presented in three sections: Introduction, Project Sites, and Evaluation Results. The introduction consists of an overview, describing the background and site selection, and of the evaluation procedures for the first and second years of the…

This study illustrates the underlying premise that certain classes of participants may be adversely affected by organizational experiences in ways that are not normally recognized. Schools belong to a set of organizations whose primary function is to socialize organizational members. This function is described as the providing of a process to a…

Within the last decade research and development activity in the social studies has ranged from curriculum development projects to innovations in instructional strategies. Little effort has been expended, however, to justify these changes in curriculum and instructional strategies. The author suggests in this essay some purposes for social…

This compilation of abstracts summarizes the papers and symposia proceedings of the 2nd Convocation (1971) of the Northeastern Educational Research Association. Many topics in educational research are covered, such as: measurement, accountability, evaluation, instructional techniques, disadvantaged youth, testing, and special programs. A listing…

A report on the Michigan project in performance contracting is presented. In contrast to the Office of Economic Opportunity announcement that performance contracting is a failure, the Michigan program has been successful in the initial stage of a major experiment (Texarkana Project). The state legislature has appropriated $22.5 million for…

Phase III of an experimental demonstration program in adult basic education in corrections is reported. The two major program goals were: (1) training of selected personnel in use of models to achieve goals of adult basic education for correctional settings; and (2) evaluation of conceptual model and design of instructional delivery system models…

This paper examines the development and evaluation of criterion-referenced measures, and elaborates on the distinction between them and norm-referenced measures. The concept of sensitivity is introduced as an appropriate method for evaluating such measures, and a sensitivity index is proposed. The traditional model for the response of a subject to…

Project ORDER is a pilot project tested in an urban middle school in Houston, Texas. The program was intended to improve the general school atmosphere; to improve students' attitudes toward the school, its program, faculty, and administration; to show significant improvement in pupil behavior; and to substantially improve teaching-learning…

An instrument for analyzing ethnic studies curriculum materials for grades K-12 is presented. The Social Science Education Consortium (SSEC), Inc. staff designed the analysis instrument to check ethnic accuracy of materials as an aid to classroom teachers who are preparing ethnic studies curriculum. The booklet is divided into two main sections.…

A method for integrating theory and practice in English as a second language teacher training is outlined. The model's steps include videotaping a teaching session; review and discussion of the videotape; evaluation of the lesson's most and least effective elements; and studying theoretical issues brought up through study of the tape. (CB)

Summarizes the central assumptions of the communicative language teaching model and the potential difficulties that regular classroom teachers may face in implementing it. Seven criteria for use in organizing communicative classrooms are presented, and applications of these criteria to decisions about organizing classroom interaction and the…

For the past decade, the federal government has supported comprehensive school reform as a way to improve under-performing schools (US Department of Education 1998). Thousands of schools across the country are now implementing scores of different whole school reform models with the hopes of improving school culture and raising student performance.…

The purpose of this study was to use realistically simulated data to evaluate various CAT designs for use with the verbal reasoning measure of the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). Factors such as item pool depth, content constraints, and item formats often cause repeated adaptive administrations of an item at ability levels that are not…

This paper reports on research carried out through a case study which sought to identify how institutionalized teaching and learning practices and processes--"the way we do things around here"--led to successful teaching and learning with information and communication technology (ICT) at a large contributing New Zealand primary school…