This paper reports on the use of continuous assessment in a statistics course for social scientists, in which assignments are open-ended and use real data. It was found that those students who carry out the majority of the assignments score higher examination marks than do the rest. (Author/MN)

Oxford is examined as a center of influence, based on the assumption that Oxford's influence is a direct consequence of what is perceived as its excellence. The proportion of philosophy professors in British universities with Oxford degrees is determined and adopted as the method of measuring influence. (LBH)

Reviews the values and limitations of the use of the history of science in teaching science. (SL)

Examines six simplistic beliefs about curriculum and their implications for curriculum development and educational practice. Argues that simplistic notions of curriculum must be challenged, and extensive efforts must be made to develop a comprehensive concept of curriculum. (JG)

A cross-sectional examination of attitudinal differences between 160 seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students in an open education program and a nearly equal number of students in a traditional program, the study used the Attitude Toward School survey to assess the effect of open education as compared with the traditional program. (Author/NQ)

Fifteen common themes are presented, drawn from major studies into the reform of secondary education. (MJB)

Defines equality of education in three areas: 1) by the degree of integration of school systems; 2) by a comparison of material resources and assets in education; and 3) by the effects of schooling as measured by the mean scores of groups on standardized tests. Available from: College of Education, 107 Quadrangle, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa…

Discusses the ongoing evaluation of classroom activities, program content, and teaching methods, through a process referred to by the author as "documentation." Among items which may be collected as part of this process are materials produced by individual children, anecdotal notes, goal statements, and teacher journals. Demonstrates how this…

How well Canadian social studies education relates to world issues and the "new social studies" as defined in the United States is examined. (Author/DE)

Presents three short papers. The first defends the humanistic approach to education; the second defends the value of behavioral objectives and evaluation techniques in education; the third argues that humanism and behaviorism are not necessarily contradictory and that both approaches have their place. (JG)

A national census of educational quality is advocated to keep a constant check on the overall quality of American education. Why the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) cannot fill the role is explained, and specific recommendations of what should be included in the census are enumerated. (MT)

Presents an inventory to assess district-level and building-level employees' perceptions about management and communication in their school system. Includes an explanation of how to use the inventory for application to local concerns and a 10-item "climate inventory assessment factors" inventory. (CJH)

While technically accurate, the "Standards for Evaluation of Educational Programs, Projects and Materials" embodies unrealistic and untenable assumptions about policy, its implementation, its development, and the evaluator's role. Three educational evaluation studies in the United Kingdom and Pakistan are used to illustrate the author's…

The "Standards for Evaluation of Educational Programs, Projects and Materials" focuses on contextual influences at the individual research project level. Macro-level political and organizational factors can be preconditions for applying the standards at project level. A study of Dutch educational evaluation research is used to illustrate…

Psychometric problems and potential design flaws must be considered as institutions attempt to document the influence of the college experience on student development. Problems related to conceptual issues, psychometric questions, or research designs are analyzed. (MLW)