Several issues facing the measurement community were brought on by the recent emphasis on stricter educational accountability measures. These testing issues include the limits of test scores, effects of testing on instruction, proper test use, importance of the test content, and defining the basics in education. (EGS)

Defines information science; reviews currently available literature pertaining to information science education (directories, analytical articles, opinion papers); and discusses a study which surveys course offerings in information science to establish what currently constitutes a specialization in the field. Course descriptions in school catalogs…

Questions educational relevance of direct measures of learning such as the Learning Potential Assessment Device, assessment of biomedical factors, and adaptative behavior measures. Notes increased discrepancies between EMR and average students in high school. Suggests a generic classification for the mildly handicapped and the combining of groups…

Deals with research at the Institute for Educational Research (Jyvaskyla, Finland) during the 1970s and compare it with other educational research in Finland during the period. Emphasis of institute activity was on primary education, with a considerable amount of research on higher education. Future research needs are noted. (MH)

This document focuses on a stakeholder survey for a research unit. Although it covers just one part of the overall planning process that the Research & Planning (RP) Unit at the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, the researchers did survey other groups in the strategic planning effort. The stakeholder survey focused on four…

These three newsletters focus on advances and challenges in disability research. The first issue focuses on the results of a survey that investigated how many consumers with disabilities had a computer available in their home and their Internet use. The study involved administrators of Independent Living Centers (ILC) and ILC consumers. Findings…

This document outlines a vision for adult and community education (ACE) in Victoria for the next 3 years and provides a broad map of how to reach that vision. A description of the context is followed by the ACE vision statement: ACE delivers accessible, quality, and timely learning in autonomous, community settings as a valued and essential…

Recent research suggests that quality of experience in child care centers and family child care homes in the United States is mediocre. The research literature over the past 20 years indicates how variations in quality of care in center-based and family child care affect children's development. Higher levels of quality across a wide range of child…

Currently, no machine translation (MT) system is capable of successfully imitating the behavior of a human translator, and there exists no formal description of what an MT system is supposed to do. The biggest problem in practice is disambiguation. However, various types of existing systems do help reduce language barriers, even if they are poor…

This document is the outcome of a conference that examined promising practices in services for children with developmental delays (DD) and gathered input for making policy recommendations related to the implementation of DD as a specific disability category for children ages 3 through 9. It begins by discussing changes to the Individuals with…

Research into the social history of African American men in deteriorating socioeconomic conditions has enhanced the understanding of the family. This research helps to understand the different experiences of diverse groups within the society and different group reactions to social change. Yet, social scientists and policymakers have shown a…

In February 2000, researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and other specialists in the field of fathers and families convened the "Employment and Fatherhood: The Education, Work, and Economic Nexus" roundtable. This discussion considered how interrelationships among education and schooling, literacy, employment and employability, and…

Noting that one of the biggest challenges in the United States today is the increasing number of infants and toddlers younger than age 3 who are cared for by someone other than their parents during work hours, this issue of NCEDL Spotlights announces the publication of a book examining out-of-home care for infants and toddlers. The book is an…

Child labor remains one of the most controversial challenges at the end of the 20th century. Approximately 250 million children in developing countries work either full- or part-time. Child labor is not confined to less-developed countries, as economic transitions bring shifts in the prevalence and nature of child labor. Throughout the world,…

Noting that reading aloud to preschool children significantly influences their reading development, this master's thesis examines the many benefits from reading aloud to preschoolers. The thesis reviews research indicating that when parents read aloud, they help their children learn vocabulary, complex sentence structure, and story structure.…