Purpose: The past decade has seen considerable debate about how to best evaluate the efficacy of educational improvement initiatives, and members of the educational leadership research community have entered the debate with great energy. Throughout this debate, the use of randomized experiments has been a particularly contentious subject. This…

This paper gives an overview of research on modelling science competence in German science education. Since the first national German educational standards for physics, chemistry and biology education were released in 2004 research projects dealing with competences have become prominent strands. Most of this research is about the structure of…

Author feels that the success of an educational innovation should not be judged on whether it fulfills its promise 100 percent, but on whether it moves education closer to its goal. (Editor)

This document lists critical factors that would assist in assuring quality in nontraditional programs in higher education. These factors include: (1) a statement of program purposes that has the commitment of the major factors in implementing the program; (2) given purposes specified at the university as well as program level, the institution…

The purpose of this preliminary report is to describe and evaluate the Los Angeles Model Mathematics Project (LAMMP). The objectives of this project include the improvement of mathematical skills and understanding of mathematical concepts, the improvement of students' self-image, the development of instructional materials and the assessment of…

While a low error rate is considered desirable in programed instruction, it does not necessarily indicate an adequate program since the answer may be highly cued in ways unrelated to the major content of the items. A 377-item section of a psychology program was altered by choosing different words or phrases to leave blank for the subject to…

Describes how the Dallas Independent School District uses the research and development concept of context evaluation to help direct changes in instructional systems, materials, and methodology. (Author/JG)

Study designed to determine the effectiveness of intensive in-class guidance of daily writing practice in freshman English composition courses as opposed to the presently practiced procedures. (Authors)

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a structured listening program on 220 first-, second-, and third-grade students enrolled in Title I schools in the ALbuquerque, New Mexico, public school system. All of the students were given the Educational Testing Service's Cooperative Primary Tests: Listening, and the author's own…

Provides an empirical evaluation of a new teacher training program that was initiated at Memorial University of Newfoundland. The program was designed to provide greater integration between what was observed and practiced in schools and what was taught in the faculty of education. (Author/RK)

Several problems that an evaluator of an experimental college has to face and resolve are considered. These include: (1) the purpose of the evaluation and the role of the evaluator, (2) the utility of a research design model, (3) the specificity of program goals before the evaluation is planned, and (4) the appropriateness of standardized or local…

The Borough of Havering in London, England undertook a project to devise and implement a computer aided learning program which involved teachers in the production of materials and provided students with a flexible, individualized system of instruction. Materials were developed, and three trials were conducted: (1) a program and equipment test; (2)…

The information and recommendations presented in this report are a distillation of a more extensive companion volume, "The Importance of Year-Round Schools." Together both volumes fully describe the second phase of a national study of year-round schools (YRS) that was initially begun by the National Council of Year-Round Education in 1975. The…

This volume contains information on a pilot writing program, involving approximately 900 kindergarten through fifth grade students, designed to test the impact of emphasizing written composition during the language arts instructional period only, as compared to emphasizing composition skills during both language arts and social studies/science…