This is the first year-end report produced as part of the on-going evaluation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Early College High School Initiative. The program provides funding and support for the establishment of Early College High Schools, which are organized to allow all enrolled students the opportunity to earn a high school diploma…

The reports presents findings of a formative evaluation of "Crossroads Cafe," an adult-level distance learning program designed to teach English to speakers of other languages (ESOL). The study focused on how 22 programs were implemented in 6 different regions of New York State. The program is a collaborative efforts of the Department of…

To address the special second language learning needs of deaf college students, a project was undertaken at Gallaudet University (District of Columbia), the world's only four-year liberal arts university for the deaf, to create 36 videotaped lessons in grammar, signed in American Sign Language, for first-year French and Spanish instruction. The…

The Arlington (Virginia) Adult Learning System (AALS), a program designed to link resources and enhance services of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) providers, is described. The AALS is a consortium in which an adult education provider (the public school system) coordinates efforts of its own organization with a community-based organization, a…

This report summarizes the presentations and discussion at a 1999 workshop entitled "Opportunities to Promote Child and Adolescent Development during the After-School Hours." This workshop brought together policy makers, researchers, and practitioners to examine research on the developmental needs of 5- to 14-year-olds and the types of…

The federal Class-Size Reduction (CSR) Program, P.L. 105-277, begun in Fiscal Year 1999, represented a major federal commitment to help school districts hire additional qualified teachers, especially in the early elementary grades, so children would learn in smaller classes. The CSR program also allowed funds to be spent as professional…

Summarizes the evaluation of a 4-5 week science program for twelve- to thirteen-year old lower ability students. Includes a description of the program, techniques used in the evaluation, and a model for observing student activity during science instruction. (JN)

The reorganization of the administrative structure and functions of the Cincinnati Public School System is described in relation to the system's research and development functions. Organizational changes and their results are discussed. (MH)

Using natural resources data from a system developed by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, an Extension program to educate public officials who make land use decisions was conducted in a series of workshops over three years. Program effectiveness is evaluated and positive and negative results are noted. (MF)

This article discusses a program entitled "Extended Reading Comprehension Skills through Language Transfer," whose goals were to expand and increase English skills through the study of the Latin language and Rome's culture. This program was implemented in Los Angeles based on the Philadelphia program pioneered by Masciantonio. (Author/CFM)

A study investigated the success of a project to create a more student-centered engineering curriculum at a Dutch technical university by assessing how faculty's conceptions of teaching related to their teaching practices. Results indicated that although faculty had strong commitment to student learning, they also had misconceptions about…

Describes the investigation of the effects of a four-step model program used with third through fifth grade students to implement Gardener's concepts of seven human intelligences--linguistic, logical/mathematical, visual/spatial, musical, kinesthetic, intrapersonal, and interpersonal intelligence--into daily learning. (BB)

A staff development program was designed to train rural Utah teachers in effective strategies for serving gifted and talented students. Teams of facilitators from universities and district offices traveled to rural sites to deliver 3 10-hour teacher workshops. Teachers indicated that the training was beneficial and reported positive results from…

The evaluation of the Texas Rural Technology (R-Tech) Pilot sought to understand how districts implemented R-Tech grants, the effects of implementation on student and teacher outcomes, as well as the cost effectiveness and sustainability of R-Tech. The Texas legislature (80th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2007) authorized the creation of…

The evolution and implementation of a collaborative effort between an elementary school bilingual science education project (Process in Science Methods, or PRISM) of The Network, Inc., and a study of the educational effectiveness of community arts centers (Project Co-Arts) are described. With PRISM's focus on science and Co-Arts' concentration on…