The 1996 "High Schools That Work" Assessment report contains positive and negative findings about the effectiveness of the high school advisement process in guiding career-bound students into challenging academic programs that will equip them for work and postsecondary study. The assessment of reading, mathematics and science performance was given…

In developing the 1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), a special effort was made to include questions that would help determine the extent to which the characteristics of professional development policies and practices were consistent with the emerging consensus on the key features of professional development as described by Hawley and…

Debates about developmental instruction have prompted postsecondary institutions to justify their developmental courses. This study investigated a method of documenting the benefits of developmental courses that involves using placement test scores to predict college outcomes separately for students who take a developmental course before taking…

In April 2000, the World Bank hosted a global conference that addressed the benefits and challenges of investing in early child development (ECD). The landmark conference brought together the world's leading experts, academicians, practitioners, and policymakers to focus on various aspects of ECD. This volume contains the proceedings of the…

This research brief highlights studies of nationally- and locally-based youth mentoring programs. The programs were evaluated on an experimentally based design which compared a group of youth randomly assigned to a mentoring program with a group of youth who were not so assigned. The study found overall that mentoring programs can be effective…

Between fall 1987 and 1992, Maui Community College's (MCC's) (Hawaii) enrollment increased by 40%, to 2,799 students. This growth was a result of increased student and community interest in higher education on all three islands in Maui County, as well as MCC's aggressive recruitment and educational program delivery. However, budget restrictions…

A suburban Chicago, Illinois, high school administrator and several of her family members initiated an interdisciplinary curriculum in the mid-1990s. As the program grew, she began a systematic study to evaluate its impact on student learning and behavior and on teacher attitudes. A subsequent research partnership with the Illinois Mathematics and…

The Michigan School Readiness Program (MSRP), a state-initiated and state-funded preschool program, serves more than 20,000 four-year-olds identified as being at risk for school failure each year. A longitudinal evaluation followed 2 cohorts selected from 7 sites from kindergarten through Grade 3 for Cohort 1 and through Grade 2 for Cohort 2. Each…

The Vermont Institute for Science, Math and Technology (VISMT) was established in 1992 as a nonprofit organization to implement a $9.6 million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded to the Vermont Department of Education. The goal of the project is to dramatically transform science, math, and technology education for all…

Expressing concern for the quality of care supported by Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) funds, welfare reform legislation required states to set aside at least 4 percent of their total grant to improve child care quality and availability. In preparation for reauthorizing CCDF, this General Accounting Office report was commissioned to…

Preservice teacher researchers investigated the effectiveness of a Professional Development School (PDS). They began by reviewing information about other PDSs, then conducted a literature review. Their evaluation involved teachers employed at a local PDS, teachers who had taught students at the PDS, undergraduates who had participated in field…

As part of a series of reports designed to support the implementation of Proposition 10: The California Children and Families Act and to provide comprehensive and authoritative information on critical issues concerning young children and families in California, this report examines home visiting as a service delivery strategy for early…

This report summarizes the activities and findings of Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) in its external evaluation of Rural Physics Teacher Resource Agents (PTRA) project. The report details HRI's work and findings since June 2002. The project is on schedule for going to scale with the rural centers model, establishing four centers in Year One and…

This report summarizes the activities and findings of Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) in its external evaluation of the American Association of Physic Teachers (APPT's) Rural Physics Teacher Resource Agents (PTRA) project. The report details HRI's work and findings since June 2004. The report is divided into five main sections. The first provides an…

The purpose of this hearing was to review the effectiveness and value of the National Science Foundation's (NSF's) past and present programs in support of improvement of K-12 science and math education and to examine what role the Foundation should play in future federal initiatives for strengthening K-12 science and math education. This hearing…