A pilot study assessing parent satisfaction with mental health services for children was a disappointment in its low response rate (28%, 15 of 53 questionnaires). However, the questionnaire, the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire, was an easy to use and effective tool that identified some sources of dissatisfaction. (SLD)

Describes the Streetwork project, a qualitative research project in contemporary cultural geography. Outlines the project's goals, implementation, and necessary skill training. Concludes with a discussion of problems that have occurred with the project. (CFR)

Describes the use of a faculty-focused assessment pilot project by six Germanna Community College faculty members, which provides immediate feedback to faculty on what is working in the classroom and what is not. Provides an overview of the project, its results, and recommendations. Includes background on Cross and Angelo's Classroom Assessment…

Within the context of current service learning legislation and litigation, a pilot study investigated effects of a service learning curriculum that was part of middle school advisory and science classes. Quantitative data indicated non-statistically significant growth in self-esteem and motivation. Student journals, essays, interviews, field…

Focuses on the several levels of questions that need to be considered before planning and implementing a distance education program. Discusses systems procedures to be followed in developing pilot lessons (modules) prior to "rapid prototyping." Concludes by providing a generic research plan for ensuring the development of sustained quality…

Evaluated the effects of a pilot program designed to improve the attendance and academic skills of African-American students at risk. Results with 15 middle school students show improved attendance, fewer suspensions, and better grades in mathematics, English, science, and history. In addition, most participants were promoted to high school. (SLD)

An 18-month pilot project established a compulsory Web-based course in a teacher education program at a Quebec university. Analysis of synchronous conversations, interviews, and 5,300 e-mails showed that student teachers had to acquire a new way of learning which seemingly increased their motivation and enhanced development of critical thought due…

Discusses the instructional processes and theoretical aspects of virtual classrooms in a school context. Reports on a three-year pilot project in Finland linking two lower secondary classrooms (grades seven through nine) with video-conferencing, highlighting the interactive network of the linked classrooms. Concludes that technology use today…

The SIP (Standards in Practice) instructional improvement program was successfully implemented in three El Paso school districts. Student scores have soared. Teacher development must be ongoing, site-based, and targeted to all students' specific needs. Teachers need strong verbal and math skills, deep content knowledge, and teaching skill. (MLH)

Describes the development of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System's live, online chat reference service, a pilot project for public libraries in Suffolk County (New York). Topics include chat software selection; a virtual reference collection; marketing; funding; staffing; evaluation; expanded hours of service; email; and extracting data from…

It is widely assumed that developments in information and communication technologies are fundamentally transforming and improving higher education. As a part of an ongoing evaluation of technology-supported pedagogy in one university, our three-year research project was designed, on the one hand, to determine if and how selected technologies were…

At the Orange County Public School District in Orlando, Florida, assessing reading skills among the youngest students used to be quite a process. Relying on rudimentary products such as paper and pencils, the strategy hinged on the bubble sheets teachers administered to students once a year. After teachers scored the exams, they sent them to the…

School districts discover that the secret to implement a good laptop program is to find a good partner. This article features educational partnerships that provide tools and support districts need to roll out successful laptop programs. At Cincinnati Country Day School district administrators joined with Toshiba and a solution provider to provide…

In an age of educational accountability and school competition, the gap between current poor-urban school performance and standards of excellence remains glaringly obvious. As poor-urban schools scramble to "close the gap," many abandon sound pedagogy, becoming entrenched in a curriculum where basic-skills worksheets are the primary method of…

The rate of adoption of mobile technologies in Africa's developing countries is amongst the highest in the world and by 2005 there may be almost 100 billion mobile users in Africa (Keegan, 2002; Brown, 2005). This is just one of the reasons why servicing distance students in this country through m-learning support tools should enjoy…