An 8-year study of academic achievement, student performance, and education costs in rural northeastern Brazil investigated the presumption that students automatically perform better when more school resources are provided. Two main topics were examined: the success of EDURURAL, an educational intervention project in rural Brazil sponsored by the…

This volume exemplifies the overall interdisciplinary, multiprofessional view of the problems and potential of urban children and youth. The contributors were encouraged to identify current problems and better solutions. Contributions are grouped into sections on families, schools, and health. The following chapters are included: (1) "Introduction…

The key skills: communication, numeracy, interpersonal, information technology, learning, and problem-solving have been identified as underlying good performance in the labor market now and in the future. The factors most important to development of key skills and ways of facilitating young people's development of those skills were examined in a…

This report discusses the findings of a study that examined the participation and performance of students with disabilities in the 1996 Minnesota Basic Standards Tests in reading and mathematics. Results indicated that approximately 70 percent of Minnesota's 8th grade students with disabilities participated in the Basic Standards Tests during the…

Traditional standardized tests of basic skills are no longer considered meaningful by many leading authorities in educational measurement. Alternative approaches are not yet fully developed, although many efforts are being made. This paper explores the issues surrounding student assessment in the context of existing and evolving state practices,…

Shortcomings in the current student assessment program in Georgia are identified, proposed revisions are described, and additional changes are recommended. Georgia educators have complained that curricula place too much emphasis on basic skills, to the detriment of subjects like science and social studies. Reform legislation in Georgia has…

A university and participating school districts cooperatively developed a 15-month graduate program to certify secondary mathematics and science teachers. A study of the program's instructional model examined three areas: whether knowledge of instructional variables related to occurrence of the variables during classroom instruction by teaching…

A consensus that unions must develop coherent and comprehensive policies on new work systems and continuous learning in order to guide local activities, was the central theme of this conference on the interrelated issues of the high performance work organization. These proceedings include the following presentations: "Labor's Stake in High…

This paper presents an approach to the evaluation of college faculty teaching which stresses input from students, colleagues, the department head, and the faculty member under review. Evaluation guidelines suggest that evaluation criteria and the measurement process, as well as the instruments used for measuring teacher performance, be jointly…

This study was conducted to examine the views of seventh-grade students in Finland with regard to the teaching and learning of mathematics. Data were gathered by a questionnaire survey, with follow-up interviews to validate response reliability. Fifty junior high school mathematics teachers in southern Finland were asked to present the…

A study of assessment practices focused on vocational schools, especially those concerned with developing generic workplace skills, as well as comprehensive secondary schools that are developing closer relations with the workplace. The major reasons for educational testing in secondary schools are managing student learning, monitoring educational…

A 10-week program to increase assignment completion was implemented with 10 sixth graders who rarely completed assignments. This behavior modification program entailed the use of an assignment completion contract for the students. The criteria for meeting this contract increased each week. When students met the weekly criteria, they were given a…

Student learning is the bottom line for nearly all efforts to establish a national test system. Major efforts in this area are summarized in this paper. The various efforts seem to move ahead independently, but some common ideas include: (1) creating a national assessment system rather than a single test; (2) developing more than multiple-choice…

This curriculum guide for an electricity/electronics course was developed for high schools in Connecticut to demonstrate that technical courses can be used as part of the science requirement for an integrated academic and vocational curriculum. The guide provides a course description, course goals, recommended text and additional materials, 33…

According to the education and training requirements of the Family Support Act of 1988, the Connecticut Department of Income Maintenance (DIM) is required to approve criteria or standards for determining the satisfactory progress of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)/Job Connection clients enrolled in education and skill training…