Designed to facilitate communication and understanding among college students of diverse ethnic backgrounds, the Building Bridges Program at Shippensburg University (Pennsylvania) used trained student facilitators to lead classroom discussions about intergroup relations. In addition, these minority and majority facilitators shared personal…

An interim report on the congressionally mandated National Study of Student Support Services (SSS) focuses on the characteristics of college freshmen program participants and on the level and type of services they receive. The federally funded grant program is designed to help economically disadvantaged students achieve success at the…

The purpose of this action research study was threefold: (1) to assess the climate of an elementary school in which the principal, assistant principal, and 67 percent of the teaching staff were new; (2) to develop and implement a plan for improvement; and (3) to reevaluate the school climate to determine whether improvement had occurred. The…

This second annual report describes activities of and presents Preliminary findings of nine longitudinal studies that are a follow-up of research conducted from 1985 to 1990 by the Early Intervention Research Institute at Utah State University on the effects and costs of providing alternative types of early intervention services to children with…

This third annual report describes activities of and preliminary findings of nine longitudinal studies on the effects and costs of providing alternative types of early intervention services to children with disabilities. The nine studies being followed focus on either variations in program intensity, variations in the age of beginning…

This study looked at how Total Quality Management (TQM) is being adopted in institutions of higher education. A questionnaire was developed seeking information on: (1) leadership of the TQM movement and timing of events; (2) the training, educating, and informing of employees; (3) specific areas using TQM and the specific statistical tools being…

This paper introduces the Learning Outcomes Study at the University of Virginia, an ongoing 2-year investigation of over 1,000 elementary school children who entered one of 16 different gifted programs (or no program) in the fall of 1990. The study will compare effects of four examples each of four types of program delivery arrangements: (1)…

This report summarizes results of the evaluation of Head Start's Leadership Training Program. The introductory chapter provides background information on the program, including a rationale for leadership training, goals and objectives of the program, and ways in which participants were selected. Chapter II provides an overview of the training…

Achieving good quality in Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) training is hampered by the lack of a common definition of quality. Five ideas have been consistent in definitions: targeting programs; long-term, in-depth training; basic education; work skills training; and supportive services and guidance. A definition must include suggestions on how…

The Norfolk, Virginia, Public Schools developed and implemented an innovative consumer and homemaking program for grades 6-8 based on the developmental characteristics of middle school children. This project was conducted under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act, Public Law 98-524. A committee of middle school teachers developed the…

This report, presented in three parts, deals with the adequacy of the vocational education system in Illinois and the effectiveness of the state's initiatives. The first part of the report addresses the adequacy of the Illinois system in meeting the purpose of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act of 1984. The system's adequacy is reviewed…

A Wisconsin study examined the perceptions of participants in a state-mandated mentoring program for beginning teachers. A researcher obtained names and addresses of beginning teachers, counselors, and librarians as well as personnel serving as mentors to beginners. A total of 14 mentors and 15 beginning teachers, counselors, and librarians agreed…

This report presents information for school years 1988-89 and 1989-90 on progress under and compliance with the Texas Master Plan for Vocational and Technical Education. It also reports on quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the state's vocational programs. Section I provides information on elementary and secondary education. It sets forth…

A study investigated the effectiveness of general study skill enhancement on the learning of a second language. Subjects were high school students deficient in study skills. They were enrolled in an after-school cooperative study skill tutorial program. After diagnostic screening, students completed the intensive tutorial program using selected…

A study was conducted during the 1988-89 academic year of 1983 and 1988 Montana high school graduates to assess the impact of their enrollment in home economics courses on their knowledge in the areas of nutrition, consumer education, and child development/parenting. Fifty-three 1983, and 55 1988 graduates of randomly selected high schools in…