This paper discusses the concept of literacy and proposes several theses with regard to the difficulty experienced by youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds in acquiring literacy in present-day school environments. It recommends studies to explore the funding of programs designed to improve schools as educational organizations, rather than…

An examination of Chapter 1 services delivered in St. Louis, Missouri and Lincoln, Nebraska, the coordination of those services with other categorical programs, and the effectiveness of those services for Chapter 1 students revealed the following conclusions: (1) relatively few Chapter 1 students receive multiple categorical program services; (2)…

This document summarizes the findings of currently available evaluation studies of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) and other related reports and data. Data from 26 studies conducted between 1980 and 1986 are presented under the following subject headings: the state role (monitoring and oversight, policy interpretation and leadership,…

Special education students who graduate or age-out of school are often not successful in making the transition from school to work. Transition services in Texas are grounded in federal civil rights legislation and a Texas Senate concurrent resolution which calls for preparing and supporting the successful transition of handicapped students to the…

Prepared by a Provost's Task Force on Assessment of Quality and Outcomes of Undergraduate Education, this report reviews the background of the currently burgeoning "assessment" movement and sets forth principles to guide the University of Arizona's efforts to redefine and reassess the quality and outcomes of its undergraduate programs.…

This is a checklist for use by science coordinators, school principals, science supervisors, and teachers in identifying strengths and weaknesses of science programs in grades seven through eight. It can also be used by science coordinators during school visits. This guide contains space for recording information concerning: school name and…

The implementation of the elementary magnet school program in Montgomery County (Maryland) from 1983 through 1985 and the racial balance changes experienced in these schools are discussed. Ten elementary schools in Area 1 and four of seven elementary schools in Area 2 operate magnet programs; these 14 schools comprise the study sample. The…

On the average, 10 percent of District of Columbia Public School (DCPS) students--approximately 8,500 students--are absent from school each day. In order to combat truancy, which often leads to dropping out, DCPS developed the Truancy Prevention Plan, part of a Comprehensive Plan for School Attendance Improvement, which was implemented between…

A cost effectiveness study by the Austin (Texas) Independent School District of its elementary compensatory reading programs, namely, the Chapter 1 Reading Improvement Program (Chapter 1 Regular) and Schoolwide Projects (SWP), found that the Schoolwide Projects cost two to three times as much to achieve the same gains in student achievement as did…

This paper reports short- and long-term outcomes of the Direct Instruction Head Start and Follow Through program model. Based on the premise that positive reinforcement is essential to maximum academic success, the Direct Instruction program was developed from an academic preschool model which specified exactly what children needed in order to…

The purpose of the High School Development Center, an alternative school in Detroit, Michigan, is to provide educational opportunities for 300 students identified as unsuccessful by principals of five high schools. Students in grades 9 and 10 are selected for the program if they exhibit two of the following: (1) very low academic achievement; (2)…

The purpose of the High School Development Center, an alternative school in Detroit, Michigan, is to provide educational opportunities for 300 students identified as unsuccessful by principals of five high schools. Students in grades 9 and 10 are selected for the program if they exhibit two of the following: (1) very low academic achievement; (2)…

The effectiveness of the seven-period schedule implemented at a rural high school in southwestern Virginia and the feasibility of extending the system to other high schools were assessed. Topics of study included whether students chose to take additional courses, which courses were selected, problems for students and faculty created by the…

During March and April of 1986, the three members of the Career Education Evaluation Unit of the Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) School District interviewed 29 automotive mechanics teachers working at nine comprehensive high schools, two vocational technical schools, and two skills centers. The interviews focused on the implementation of standardized…

Designed to improve underachieving high school students' reading and communication skills, the Secondary Developmental Reading Program served 741 ninth, tenth, and eleventh graders in 13 Columbus, Ohio, public schools. Funding was made available through the Ohio Disadvantaged Pupil Program Fund (DPPF). Fourteen teachers participated in the 1987-88…