In order to make policy decisions, educators must evaluate educational research proposals and projects. Findings immediately related to practice are often inadequate, omitting the theoretical establishment of principles by which we can explain and predict the phenomena of our world. These theoretical linkages to the practical world of…

The concept of psychosocial maturity is reviewed in preparation for the exploration of the feasibility of constructing a scale that measures maturity. Investigation produced a preliminary 54-item scale with high reliability and moderate validity, which is appended. A factor analysis of the scale supports the a priori structure by the theoretical…

The purpose of this study is to report a behavioral observation validation of a multiple social interaction measurement instrument entitled the "Barclay Classroom Climate Inventory." This instrument measures social interaction in the elementary classroom as derived from self-report, peer judgments and teacher expectations. It provides an…

Analysis of teacher trainee performance ratings collected from special education teacher trainees (N=151), university supervisors (N=9), and cooperating teachers (N=44) revealed that all three groups perceived identical factors--instructional management, cognitive strategies instruction, and career/vocational education--as underlying the construct…

The "No Child Left Behind Act" of 2001 crystallized the concern for accountability in education. National testing was mandated as a way to improve the "broken" educational system. Publicly funded early education programs were not spared from such testing. While the positive effects of high-quality early education on children's…

Holland's Self-Directed Search (SDS) protocols were used with at-risk Hispanic female and male adolescents were examined to determine their sensitivity to this population. The SDS was completed by 89 at-risk Hispanic students (49 females and 33 males) in grade 9 at a nontraditional school for students who have been deemed at risk for gang and…

The purpose of the NMSBA technical report is to provide users and other interested parties with a general overview of and technical characteristics of the 2006 NMSBA. The 2006 technical report contains the following information: (1) Test development; (2) Scoring procedures; (3) Calibration, scaling, and equating procedures; (4) Standard setting;…

This paper describes an evaluation model called embedded training evaluation (ETE) which can be used to evaluate different types of training ranging from basic skills through constructed learning. The model was developed for the New York State Child Welfare/Child Protection Services Common Core training program. ETE is particularly effective in…

Papers on foreign language education include: "The Message Is the Medium: Using Video Materials To Facilitate Foreign Language Performance" (Thomas J. Garza), which explores the use of this medium to enhance commonly-used non-communicative or text-bound teaching materials; "Product and Process Aspects of NES/EFL Students' Persuasive…

This symposium on issues in training consists of three presentations. "Improving Customer Service Training in Korea" (Namhee Kim) reports findings from interviews of customer service employees who identified these customer service issues: training for service recovery is needed; additional service gives a strong impression to customers;…

The Preschool Version of the High/Scope Program Quality Assessment (PQA) is a ratings instrument for evaluating the quality of early childhood programs and identifying staff training needs. The assessment was developed for use in all center-based preschool and child care settings, not just those using the High/Scope educational approach. This…

Noting that few studies have examined the relationship between quality of early childhood education (ECE) programs in India and the impact of such programs on young children's learning competencies, this study explored the relationship between various components of programs in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and other family and…

For seven years, the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) was the primary standardized assessment instrument used by the adult education program of the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV (MIUIV) of the Pennsylvania Department of Education Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education. While reviewing its current assessment procedures, the MIUIV's…

This publication is designed to address new paradigms such as research, policies, and daily school practices which tend to reduce or perpetuate inequities in educational opportunities for culturally and linguistically diverse individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. This particular issue includes articles that discuss referrals of…

Again today, as 40 years ago, the idea of setting standards for career and technical education (CTE) has come to the fore. CTE practitioners have learned some lessons about implementing standards, among them that there is no "standard" standard; instead, there can be a confusing variety of standards. An analysis of standards reveals that there are…