Research from the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe explored the concept of motivation in relation to education and training schemes for the unemployed. Studies suggest that lack of motivation can be explained by socioeconomic status, recent training experience, lack of perceived links between training and jobs or career progression, and…

This document presents key findings about the team evaluation process used in seven workplace basic skills programs in 1993 and 1994. An introduction summarizes the methodology used to develop the case studies and key findings about the team evaluation process. These key findings present the strengths and challenges of using evaluation teams,…

This paper outlines the rationale for the development of several sports programs for Australia's children, their main features, and evidence of the extent to which they are achieving their goals. The programs include AUSSIE SPORT: Sport for Kids, a modified sports program for the senior grades of primary schools; Sportsfun, an after school program…

The purpose of this action research study was threefold: (1) to assess the climate of an elementary school in which the principal, assistant principal, and 67 percent of the teaching staff were new; (2) to develop and implement a plan for improvement; and (3) to reevaluate the school climate to determine whether improvement had occurred. The…

This report presents information for school years 1988-89 and 1989-90 on progress under and compliance with the Texas Master Plan for Vocational and Technical Education. It also reports on quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the state's vocational programs. Section I provides information on elementary and secondary education. It sets forth…

The study reports achievement data over four school years (1978-82) from standardized tests administered to approximately one million students per year in the state of Indiana. The reports show the percent of students performing in each of three bands of stanines--1,2,3; 4,5,6; 7,8,9. Representative grades from primary, intermediate,…

This report describes the Managing Occupational Therapy in Rural Education (MORE) a project that is designing a preservice training curriculum for occupational therapy students preparing to work in rural settings. Therapists need to have an understanding of rural school systems, educational aims, philosophy, and the structure of the system itself…

A collaborative relationship established between the Department of Education at Purdue University in Indiana and the Twin Lakes School Corporation of Monticello, Indiana, sought to design preservice experiences enabling prospective teachers to develop and enhance critical thinking skills in their pupils. The development of this collaborative…

Illinois' state-funded preschool program, the Illinois Prekindergarten Program for Children at Risk of Academic Failure, is serving almost 19,000 children in the 1989-90 period on an allocation of 48 million dollars, which was distributed to 184 projects in 353 school districts. The preschool projects serve children of 3-5 years, who are taught…

A comprehensive picture of existing services to families under stress can be useful for immediate and long-range planning. In order to determine the range of services to families under stress, including those identified as involved in child abuse and neglect, the Council for Child Protection and Family Support, Missoula, Montana, surveyed, through…

This paper examines the Competency Based Teacher Education (CBTE) program at the University of Toledo, Ohio. A description is given of the development of the program and its implementation in 1971. The reasons for changes in the CBTE program are discussed and teacher surplus, enrollment changes, and the fact that the program was expensive are…

Intended as a tool for school district personnel as they develop competency-based education programs for English composition, this document presents objectives and guidelines for improving composition quality and instruction. The chapters cover the following topics: (1) the writing process, (2) the relationship between the writing process and…

The Effective Schools Project is a test of a general method for improving organizational effectiveness. The method--Program Development Evaluation (PDE)--calls for researcher-practitioner collaboration in the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs to increase school effectiveness. Two Baltimore City junior high schools are working with…

Training Opportunities in the Private Sector (TOPS) was a small-scale, voluntary program operated as one among many employment-related options available to recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children in Maine's Work Incentive (WIN) Program. TOPS was distinguished from Maine's other WIN demonstration activities by three program elements.…

Since 1975 the Contoocook Valley District, a small rural cooperative school district in southwestern New Hampshire, has developed a performance-based student competency program which has resulted in a dramatic increase in scores on the Stanford Achievement Test. The district is comprised of 9 towns, covers an area of almost 300 square miles, and…