Anyone who has worked as a teacher or principal in an elementary school understands the value of reliable and valid assessments of early reading progress. In order to implement an effective reading program, schools should have a coordinated plan for using screening, progress monitoring, diagnostics and outcome measures to guide instruction and to…

Over the course of their kindergarten through twelfth grade education, children in American public schools will spend the equivalent of one school year under the guidance of a substitute teacher. Yet in most districts, substitutes are given the keys to the classroom without a day's training. While requirements vary by state, some may hold advanced…

Noting that children may be affected by environmental contaminants quite differently from the way adults are affected, this report is the first on trends in measures reflecting environmental factors that may affect the health and well-being of children in the United States. For most measures presented, data between 1990 and 1999 were provided by…

This annual report on the well being of the world's children focuses on child participation. This focus is intended to remind adults of their obligation to elicit and consider the views of children and young people when decisions are being made that affect their lives, and on adults' responsibility to help children and adolescents develop their…

This issue looks at the different ways in which British providers of postsecondary education can weigh the quality of their provision to inform and shape improvements. The articles aim to provide a feel for current practice in internal evaluation to improve quality and to get providers thinking about some ways in which they can collect and use…

The School District Data Book (SDDB) of the National Center for Education Statistics contains data on local education agencies that make it possible to compare data aggregated at district, county, state, and national levels on hundreds of variables. The development of the SDDB has provided an efficient and powerful tool for use in planning and…

This paper presents the results of three years of development and evaluation of a CD-ROM/Web hybrid simulation known as Brownfield Action for an introductory environmental science course at an independent college for women in the northeastern United States. Brownfield Action is a simulation that provides a learning environment for developing the…

California public schools are changing both how they teach math, and also what they expect students to learn. In December 1997, state leaders adopted new math standards that include more than basic arithmetic skills. The framework lists five areas of math called "strands," that define what students from kindergarten through seventh grade…

The Online Books Evaluation Project at Columbia University (New York) explores the potential for online books to become significant resources in academic libraries. The Project confronts and explores a set of feasibility issues, including publishers' ability to provide books of various types and vintages in forms conducive to conversion to online…

One of the most significant decisions in a library administrator's career is the decision to automate one or more of a library's operations. This book describes the present state of local library automation; the planning, selection, and implementation process; and the library administrator's role in the process. The bulk of the text provides a…

To track student progress and develop a model of the total academic process at Prince George's Community College (PGCC), the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis acquired 5 years of background, behavioral, and outcome data for a cohort of first-time students entering the college. The academic process was broken down into three divisions:…

Intended to inform policymaking in the public and private sector, this booklet compiles secondary data for 53 health status indicators and service needs of America's children. The book provides both a graphic and textual summary for the data and addresses long-term trends, where applicable. Some statistics indicate the extent of progress toward…

The effectiveness of the first 5 years of tech prep in New York was examined through a three-component evaluation. Data were obtained from three sources. First, statewide surveys and interviews obtained input from 717 teachers, counselors, and administrators and 987 students currently involved in tech prep programs in New York's 30 tech prep…

Providing data on 1995-96 graduates and program completers from Pima Community College (PCC) in Arizona, this report presents tables showing the number and percentage of associate degrees, technical and advanced certificates, and basic certificates by type; by instructional program; by ethnicity; and by gender. Seven- and 10-year comparative data…

Data collated by the University of Sussex (England) Institute for Employment Studies were examined to identify trends and issues in higher education (HE) and the graduate labor market in the United Kingdom. The analysis focused on the following: higher education and the changing graduate labor market; the traditional pool of candidates for HE;…