Recommendations are made for improving teacher education starting with internal reform on the part of individual schools of education. It is pointed out that institutions, acting independently and comparing their programs in a realistic way with similar programs in other schools, can identify weaknesses and are in a position to rectify them. An…

The evaluation of teacher inservice education programs is discussed. Evaluation of an inservice program is aimed at answering questions about the program's effectiveness and providing a description of the impact the experience has on the participants. Curriculum evaluation should be concerned with four kinds of decisions: (1) planning; (2)…

This special issue of the "Courier" has been produced to mark the beginning of International Literacy Year 1990. It brings together papers from adult educators involved in literacy work about who needs literacy and why, what literacy is, who can help in creating the right conditions for literacy to succeed, and how to evaluate literacy…

This document reports the findings of the 1989-90 process evaluation of the Saginaw, Michigan school district's state-funded prekindergarten program for 4-year-olds at risk of academic failure. As of January 29, 1990, a total of 255 pupils were participating in the program at 11 sites. The Michigan Early Childhood Education Preschool (MECEP)…

This guide was developed to provide local policymakers and program managers with an approach for using performance standards as a tool for reviewing and improving performance of Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs at the local level. The guide is keyed to the Program Year (PY) 1990 U.S. Department of Labor adjustment methodology for…

The ways in which a rating scale developed for problem-based medical curricula provides information that is useful in the area of curriculum reform were demonstrated in a study involving 95 first-year medical students at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec (Canada). The rating scale, based on the theory of problem-based learning of W. H.…

A formative evaluation was undertaken at an urban community college to determine how an open-admission general studies program should be restructured to better meet student goals and the college's educational objectives. The evaluation process included: interviewing key college representatives to generate hypotheses, and review of the hypotheses…

A series of worksheets, evaluation forms, readings, and activities is presented to aid in the review, development, and improvement of the K-12 social studies program. The guide begins with a brief overview on program improvement, followed by methods for reviewing the present social studies program. Checksheets, charts, and outlines are provided…

The Program Development for Artistically Talented Project (ATP) in the Dade County Schools, Florida, funded by the Education Consolidation Improvement Act, Chapter 2, was designed to provide technical support to the locally funded program for artistically talented elementary students through: (1) the development of a curriculum/program guide; and…

During 1985-86, its first year, the Comprehensive School Improvement and Planning process (CSIP) operated in 156 of 392 New York City schools identified by the State Education Department's Comprehensive Assessment Report (CAR) as most in need of improvement. CSIP offers a holistic approach to school improvement and planning, and is designed to…

The Statewide Assessment Program, administered by the Alaska Department of Education, tests all fourth and eighth graders in math and reading biennially. In 1985, the Department's Office of Evaluation, Assessment and Research undertook an evaluation of the assessment program to identify procedures which needed improvement and to determine the…

To accumulate the data necessary for making recommendations for the improvement of middle school reading programs in Massachusetts, such programs were assessed by computer searches, informal interviews, and random questionnaires. "TRANS," Teaching Reading Acquisition Natural to Subject Areas, embodies the kind of program needed to meet…

A short-term descriptive assessment, this study provides summary data on the Parent-Child Center (PCC) comprehensive early childhood intervention programs initiated in 1967 and operated by the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families. PCCs provide low income families with children under three with social service, health, and educational…

The Native Students Services (formerly the Indian Students University Program Services) provided support and tutorial services and outreach programs to Indian students. During the 1976-77 program year, the basic plan of operation developed during the preceding four years was continued. Students came from all parts of the province, from north of…

The Piedmont Schools Project (PSP) was one of the Experimental Schools Projects awarded grants by the National Institute of Education (NIE). The PSP is located in the Piedmont region near Greer, South Carolina and serves approximately 5,000 K-12 students from eight schools. The students in this region have historically performed at one or more…