This issue of "Focal Point" explores some of what is known and unknown about strengthening social support. This introduction outlines some of the major concepts and themes in research on social support, and some implications of this research for interventions in children's mental health. This sets the stage for the rest of the issue, which…

Purpose: This study explores the effects of an alternative, transformative andragogy (i.e., the art and science of helping others to learn) designed to be responsive to the challenges of preparing educational leaders committed to social justice and equity. Design: Within the context of preparation programs, the three theoretical perspectives of…

This study evaluated the validity, reliability, and utility of five of the six subtests of Clay's (2002) Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement (OS), including Letter Identification, Word Reading, Writing Vocabulary, Hearing and Recording Sounds in Words, and Text Reading. In addition to a review of studies providing assessment of the…

There is a gap in the current research literature regarding evaluation of TAFE outcomes and it stems from a predominant human capital focus. The existing paradigm of human capital, which values the acquisition of knowledge and skills for their economic value, has been of primary interest and significance, particularly in terms of government policy…

A preschool program in rural Bangladesh was evaluated in terms of cognitive and social outcomes of children. The preschools provided a half-day program, 6 days a week, with free play, stories, and instruction in literacy and math. Four hundred children between 4.5 and 6.5 years were assessed, half in preschools and half in villages where there…

The current paper details an action research approach to developing and evaluating a group cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) program for older adults (65+ years) experiencing depression. This approach allowed the development of a novel program and for each component of the program to be evaluated and modified in an iterative, developmental…

There is a large literature on leadership mentoring and coaching. However, in education in England, mentoring is the term that has dominated policy and discussion until recently, with the application of this concept as a core element in teacher training and in the induction of new headteachers. Coaching has emerged more recently as a significant…

A dialectical, or mutually informing and influencing, relationship exists between research, programmes for development and improved teaching and learning. Among a raft of other attributes, current perceptions of effective professional development (summarised in the paper) point to deep, collaborative, active and ongoing features as important. Such…

"Teacher turnover," the number of teachers who leave a program during a year has numerous detrimental effects that can lower the quality of care received by children and families. High rates of teacher turnover, high child-to-adult ratios, and poorly trained staff characterize poor-quality child care in the United States. In fact, high…

This paper presents a comparison of performance auditing and evaluation. It is the product of a collaboration between the senior evaluator from the Office of Research and Evaluation in the Austin Independent School District (Texas) and the senior auditor of Austin's City Auditor's Office. These officials were required to work together when the…

This book describes the historical perspectives related to the education of Black children through their heritage, their family and community, and institutions of learning. The complex interactions between Blacks and Whites and the roles of philosophers, theorists, and educational practitioners in this historical development are discussed. The…

This proceedings contains nine conference papers, as well as abstracts of an additional seven papers, on research related to outdoor education. A preface, "Building a Research Community for Outdoor Education" (Anderson B. Young), describes the role of the Coalition for promoting information exchange and cooperation among outdoor education…

This study examines effective models for use of Chapter 1 funds. The interventions for Chapter 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act are examined for several Northern California Bay Area elementary schools. Ten teachers answered questions related to the current Chapter 1 program in effect at their school sites. Responses indicate that…

As a result of increasing pressure from external constituencies, community colleges have been called upon to demonstrate accountability through assessment activities and research on institutional effectiveness based on student outcomes. Since community colleges include transient student populations, students with a wide range of ability and…

START was a dropout prevention project funded by Alberta Education and Alberta/NWT Region Human Resources Development Canada, successor to Employment and Immigration Canada. START addressed dropout prevention through a variety of school and community initiatives primarily targeting students in the junior high school years. In the 1993-94 school…