Argues that the pendulum between federal and state education initiatives has swung to the states; reviews the extent to which state standards have incorporated the recommendations of "Geography for Life." Concludes that the translation of "Geography for Life" into state standards is uneven due to problems of accessibility. (DSK)

Examined how the concept of quality in the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) is concretized in pedagogical processes, in a comparison of classroom observations in Germany and Sweden. Observers from each country evaluated preschools in the other country, using the ECERS. Comparisons showed the benefits of using ECERS for facilitating…

Presents the results of a national study examining effectiveness of employment- and education-focused welfare-to-work programs. Considers the implications for community colleges, particularly training for quick employment versus stable jobs that pay a living wage. Concludes that, compared with other institutions, community colleges have the most…

Outlines current trends in education and considers their impact on the future of education, particularly distance education. Highlights include the pressure to use technology; standardized competencies; outcomes and assessments; teacher's role; learner-centered philosophies; constructivism; field-based and informal learning; automating…

A case study of three Eastern urban schools examined the difficulties inherent to measuring bilingual program success. Results indicate that significant data sources were available, but they were rarely disaggregated in a fashion conducive to showcasing bilingual programs. Teacher involvement in establishing, reviewing, and monitoring assessment…

Sets forth eight rules for using assessment to allow community colleges to create a distinctive image: create a "brand identity," differentiate the institution from competitors, big picture goals, total institution performance, priority assigned to stakeholders, measuring intangible benefits, continuous customer touch, and urgency for action.…

Reviews the impact of a professional development project for primary school teachers developed in England. Finds that teachers' subject knowledge and confidence increased and that children in the target group progressed in attitude and achievement. (WRM)

Applied qualitative methods to assess students' interest in science to responses of 2,118 German students in grades 5 through 7 to items measuring interest. Each method (additive cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling, and latent class analysis) is considered qualitative because it supports a focus on the structure of interest. Each approach…

Across Canada, a range of approaches to assessment reflects different theories of organizational change and contrasting views of the purpose of education. Saskatchewan's accountability framework is based on shared principles about appropriate evaluation, jointly developed by education stakeholders. Features include cooperation and shared…

Describes one teacher's first attempt to understand the role of students' self-evaluations of their process and products in a science unit centered upon open-ended projects. Describes the social structure in student group self-evaluation, and explains the important role students' self-evaluations can play as part of an open-ended project learning…

Discusses how the sources of research-based information in developmental education have increased in recent years except in the area of program evaluation. Describes the differences between program evaluation and research and argues for the need to standardize the criteria used. Concludes with a list of practical ideas for conducting program…

Describes a study conducted to ascertain the perceptions of various stakeholder groups on selected measures of institutional quality. States that questionnaires were distributed to 1,962 students, faculty, and staff at a two-year college; response rate was 49% (n=955). Concludes that outcome indicators (such as pass rates on licensure…

The history books will show that New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg seized control of the city's sprawling public school bureaucracy and its 1.1 million students on July 1, 2002. But it was 18 months later when New Yorkers got their first real taste of what mayoral control and accountability were supposed to be about: when reports of escalating…

Student evaluations of instruction have long been used to evaluate the teaching performance of instructors. However, despite the widespread use of data from student evaluations for the purpose of determining faculty teaching effectiveness, a review of the literature in the area indicates that issues concerning the validity and usefulness of such…

In order for the efforts of scholarly teaching to be recognized, the work must become public and presented to peers for review. Scholarship of Teaching is not only improving instruction and learning but also methodically assessing whether specific teaching interventions have had the desired effect. In this paper, the author presents a step-by-step…