This research brief presents an overview of a 2004 study by G.S. Shannon and P. Bylsma entitled "Characteristics of Improved School Districts: Themes from Research" (Olympia, WA: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction). The authors reviewed more than 80 research articles that investigated the attributes of schools and districts …

Partners in Quality is a research and development project sponsored by the Canadian Child Care Federation and its affiliates to explore how child care providers, parents, and other partners can work together to support and improve quality in child care. This booklet, in both English and French, is the second in a series to support child care…

This document contains two papers on excellence in business and education leadership. "Corporate Leadership in Improving Student Achievement" (Edward B. Rust, Jr.) explains why business must remain involved in education and discusses the following efforts of the State Farm Insurance Company to assume a leadership role in educational…

This study of basic education in El Salvador was carried out between September and December of 2003 by a team of researchers. This publication has two parts: (1) The introduction which addresses the main findings of the study and proposes education policy priorities for the next reform effort; and (2) A summary of the original study of basic…

A study reviewed the efficiency and effectiveness of the Department of Labor's (DOL's) Veterans' Employment and Training Service's (VETS's) administration of the Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program (DVOP) and Local Veterans' Employment Representative (LVER) program. While veterans received priority employment services at one-stop centers, VETS did…

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 emphasizes the importance of high quality, accessible, and relevant information about the labor market for making sound decisions. In order to help both workers and employers, as well as the government agencies that serve them, the Workforce Information System was created and is being improved. The action plan…

In recent years, preschool and elementary school teachers have noted increases in behavior concerns and developmental delays, possibly caused by prenatal drug or alcohol exposure. This document notes that it is more important to ascertain the children's challenges than the causes. It describes the most promising practices identified for improving…

Critical thinking is highly valued but difficult to teach effectively. The Reason! project at the University of Melbourne (Australia) has developed the Reason!Able software as part of a general method aimed at enhancing critical thinking skills. Students using Reason!Able appear to make dramatic gains. This paper describes: (1) the challenge…

Few would argue against the idea of planning and implementing improvements to the nation's schools. This report contends, school improvement planning processes have frequently not been conceived in ways likely to produce desired learning outcomes for many students. The analyses presented in this report focus on a lack of attention to how schools…

Drawn from the experiences of the Cornell Youth and Work Program, a 4-year demonstration project that adapted elements of European apprenticeship in the United States and emphasized opportunities for youth to learn at work, this guide is written for people in workplaces and schools who plan, direct, or evaluate work-based learning opportunities…

This book offers a selection of 14 conference papers that present a variety of innovative partnerships for the preparation of teachers and school administrators. Part 1, "Teacher Preparation Partnerships," presents 4 papers: (1) "Ten Years of the Hawaii School/University Partnership" (J.P. Dolly, P.A. Whitesell, and A.P. Port); (2) "The Colton…

This paper presents the preliminary results of ongoing case study research in the Learning through Collaborative Visualization Project (CoVis) testbed. The goal of CoVis is to promote project-enhanced science pedagogy. The project focuses on three areas: (1) project-enhanced science teaching and learning; (2) developing communities of practice;…

Each of the seven chapters in this guide presents current research with practical applications for the middle-level teacher and integrates these instructional approaches with the developmental needs of the young adolescent. After a foreword by David H. Reilly, chapter 1 provides a general overview of current cognitive research and its…

This report examines the historical role of statewide coordinating boards, most of which were established after World War II to help states deal with conflicting institutional political interests and values. While authority over institutional management remains vested in governing boards, statewide coordinating boards serve as alternative models…

This report summarizes the proceedings of a 1996 workshop on modern language teaching, sponsored by the Council of Europe. It first outlines the workshop's aims to examine relevant recent research in Europe, suggest policy concerning language teaching and language teacher training, and encourage cooperation among researchers and their…