The first three steps to developing a program that is both effective and efficient are participant selection, recruitment, and assignment. They require thinking about the populations to be targeted, considering how to open the door to the population and how to get the population in the door, and determining the services that are needed. The Job…

The use of language for real communication is of primary importance in bringing a foreign language to life for students. Native speakers can make a class come alive, and teachers should explore the possibilities for bringing exchange students and teachers into the school. Realia and foreign language children's books are also interesting to…

The California Critical Thinking Skills Test: College Level (CCTST) is a standardized test that targets core college-level critical thinking skills. It has been characterized as the best commercially available critical thinking skills assessment instrument. Building from CCTST validation studies in 1989 and 1990, this paper proposes avenues for…

Characteristics related to the potential strength of state curriculum control policies in California, Florida, New York, and Texas are described in this report. Each of these states has recently strengthened its influence over the high school curriculum. This report examines the strength of the state policies that: (1) define the high school…

This study investigated factors responsible for the consistently low numbers of black students applying to the College of Dental Medicine of South Carolina. The project was structured to obtain feedback from two entities at the undergraduate level: the pre-health advisors (Phase I); and black students (Phase II). Thirty-four responses were…

To prepare teachers for working with diverse student populations, teacher education reform must advance from a course in multicultural education to the level of an organized and integrated component of the teacher education curriculum. This roundtable discussion identifies the major principles at issue in bringing about such a change in the…

This handbook provides resources for teachers and administrators involved in vocational assessment under the requirements of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act. The handbook is organized in seven sections. The first section provides an overview of the background and contents of the handbook. Section II gives an overview of the process of…

This collection of papers illustrates that the principal changes taking place in the socialist countries in the field of education find their real reflection in the social position and creative work of the teacher. Papers, reports, and reviews in this collection include: (1) "Topical Tasks of Initial Teacher Training" (V. Brichta); (2) "The…

Media specialists and educators considering implementation of child-oriented film programs are provided with useful guidelines and case studies. Following an editorial assessing the myth of the short attention span in children, 10 articles cover the planning, promotion, and implementation of a variety of museum film programs. Included are: large…

To compare the effects of two different comprehension treatments on the reading of university students enrolled in a developmental reading laboratory, 74 students were administered pretests measuring reading achievement and reading attitudes and were given five weeks of instruction in text organizing strategies and vocabulary development. After…

This report begins with a summary and discussion of computer programs on site prior to fall 1983, classroom computers, mainframe computers, and major goals for computing. A chart summarizing methods of achievement of the system-wide computing plan details its goals, objectives, and actual or projected completion dates. An overview of…

A National Institute of Education (NIE) statement of policy and procedures is presented regarding administering institutional contracts and grants with regional educational laboratories and research and development centers during fiscal years 1983 and 1984. Definitions are presented of regional educational laboratories and research and development…

In the mid-1960s, as part of the "War on Poverty," the armed services accepted up to 100,000 personnel per year who would have been rejected had not standards for reading and mathematics abilities been lowered. Over 80 percent of these persons completed their tour of duty and more than 90 percent were rated above average in their…

The 1987 High School Transcript Study was designed to provide educational policymakers with information regarding current course offerings and course taking in the nation's secondary schools. As a part of the study, analysis of course-taking patterns of 1987 graduates were compared with data for 1982 graduates. In the fall of 1987, high school…

Like so many slogans, "Whole Language" is a dangerous term because its meaning varies with each educator. Whole Language is not a method of teaching, nor is it a program; it is a philosophy or viewpoint. Nine major characteristics of a Whole Language approach as culled from a variety of sources, with most agreed upon by a majority of…