This manual is for experienced group leaders who will be training parents, educators, or policymakers to use the Middle Grades Assessment Program to evaluate how schools are responding to the developmental needs of adolescents. This manual is to be used in conjunction with the user's manual and a slide-tape presentation. The user's manual provides…

Presenting results from a project that analyzed four years of student scores on the Florida State Student Assessment Test (SSAT), this paper first provides background information on why the study was undertaken (to determine student needs and teacher training needs) and how the data were collected and analyzed. The bulk of the report, a two-part…

In a critical examination of the state of teacher education, strong and weak areas are pointed out. The following six principles are offered as foundations upon which programs within schools and departments of education can be built: (1) All teacher education programs should be rooted in the knowledge of teaching and learning; (2) The principles…

A ninth grade home economics course, taught in an Australian high school, was evaluated with the goals of providing staff with information on evaluation procedures and obtaining information upon which judgments and recommendations for change about a particular course could be made. Of key importance in this project was the presence of an outside…

This paper examines the strengths and weaknesses of liberal education and and considers options for articulation between them in higher education. While the two fields seem unrelated, closer inspection of how each field defines itself and views its goals and objectives leads to the conclusion that they have many similar processes and affective…

Five tables of data from the three surveys conducted during the 1970s by the National Assessment of Educational Progress are presented in this paper, with an interpretation of them regarding reading improvement. The paper provides comparative data from schools eligible and noneligible for Title I assistance across the following variables: age,…

Noting that few curriculum projects designed to teach effective writing skills have been evaluated through carefully planned, longitudinal research studies representing cooperative efforts between university and public school personnel, this report describes such a project. The report outlines (1) the purpose of the program, which was based on the…

The rationale, development, and structure of a high school oral communication assessment program are described in this paper. Following information on competency based education and the need for developing and testing students' oral communication skills, the development of an assessment instrument by the Glynn County (Georgia) school system is…

This document is the final report of the Unesco seminar on international understanding. The major purposes of the seminar were twofold: (1) to evaluate implementation of human rights and peace-related recommendations within Unesco member nations since 1974 and (2) to suggest how to develop and implement more effective human rights/international…

A questionnaire survey in New South Wales (Australia) provided the basis for this discussion of the implications of public opinion for future educational policy. The report supports the use of systematic surveys to contribute information to the blend of knowledge, experience, and awareness of future trends policy makers rely on to reach decisions.…

A study examined the conditions of education and the status of children's literature in Argentina, a country currently ruled by a military junta. Specifically, the study investigated how children's literature affected school curriculum; what themes were considered to be important; the roles of ethnic, female, and historical characters; and how…

Transfer of knowledge and skills from the classroom to real life settings is an essential goal of any educational program. A study of microcounseling skills possessed by graduate students examined their interactions with classmates in a role playing situation. All students participated in skills training, responded to videotaped client vignettes,…

Purdue University's participation as a fund associate in National Project III (NP III) for elevating the importance of teaching has its origins in a flexible and diagnostic instructional evaluation system called "CAFETERIA." CAFETERIA services include test development, scoring, and analysis; social surveys on topics of importance in…

The features of two currently popular evaluation models for higher education institutions are described. Each system was designed and developed to respond to what was perceived as different sides of a common problem. Two lines of analysis on costs and outcomes have been developed by the National Center for Higher Education Management (NCHEMS). The…

This report is a summary of the National Survey of the Preservice Preparation of Teachers. It presents data on the condition of preservice teacher education and summarizes future planning activities now underway in teacher education institutions. Information is provided on the perceptions of various groups regarding the supply and demand for…