Currently there is a strong movement to make schools more effective by raising the quality of instruction, program design and organizational management. This paper reviews recent research in adolescent development as a major focus for determining the success or failure of specific practices in secondary schools. Factors of school effectiveness are…

This review summarizes and analyzes the body of research on the characteristics of effective schools in addition to early input-output research, which implied that the determinants of student achievement lay chiefly outside the control of the schools. Chapter 1 discusses patterns in the results of input-output studies, including research…

To determine the status of humanities education in American public schools, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) conducted a survey of State Education Agencies (SEAs) in 1982. Data gained through a questionnaire sent to each SEA concerned humanities policies in the areas of organizational structure, general educational goals,…

This report analyzes information gathered by a task force, appointed by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), to investigate the current status of emergency or substandard certification measures used by state agencies and school districts. In an overview, the task force defines the role of teacher certification and…

To assist in local school improvement, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) has developed an approach in which teams of local educational leaders are made aware of the results of effective schooling research and are trained in the processes of change and improvement. Research reviews have shown specific elements of schooling at the…

Whether students learn more in private schools is a point of controversy among researchers, though the argument for tuition tax credits for parents of private school students often rests on it. In different studies comparing private and public schools, the main area of disagreement is the extent to which nonschool factors affect achievement. The…

This paper surveys the status of current state and district level practice in content assessment, highlights related research efforts currently underway, and identifies high priority areas for subsequent research in content assessment. A needs assessment for research in content area assessment was conducted during 1986 by the Center for Research…

The construct underlying simple paper-and-pencil logical operations tasks administered to young children in group settings was examined. The logical operations, number concepts, and visual discrimination subtests of the Early School Assessment (ESA) were administered as part of the Fall 1987 national tryout of the ESA. The mathematics concepts and…

Designed to facilitate implementation of outcomes assessments at other colleges, this manual describes the activities and techniques developed by North Hennepin Community College in its Student Outcomes Pilot Project (SOPP) of 1988-89. Following introductory material, the manual describes the college's Research and Planning Office, and its survey…

Updated information is presented on various student services to provide student service professionals with ideas for successfully planning, coordinating, delivering, and evaluating student services programs. Six sections contain 24 chapters as follows: (1) professional roots and commitments--"Historical Foundations of Student Services (R. Fenske);…

The Educational Opportunity Program for At-Risk Students is a statewide initiative of the State of Indiana to expand existing programs or create new programs for at-risk students. The 57 programs improved or initiated in the 1988-89 school year most commonly included tutoring, counseling and support services, or promotion of parent/community…

At the education "summit" held in 1989 in Charlottesville, Virginia, the President and the Governors called for the establishment of clear national performance goals designed to make the United States internationally competitive. Six national education goals, to be reached by the year 2000, were identified as the first step in carrying out that…

Current science assessments in use in the states were studied, and the extent to which these assessments meet the goals of reform of science education specified by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) was investigated. These goals were identified by the AAAS in "Project 2061: Science for All Americans?" Data…

A survey of teachers in all elementary and secondary schools in Vancouver (British Columbia) identified students for whom English was the second language and gathered information on the students' grade level, birthplace, first language, ability to understand spoken and written English, ability to speak and write in English, need for language…

This paper was prepared to provide background information for use by a committee on adult literacy, composed of superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals, teachers, school board members, curriculum specialists, business leaders, individuals from higher education, legislators, and legislative staff. The purpose was to highlight…