The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) conducted a survey in 2003 to gauge the level of service learning involvement in community colleges across the nation. Service learning combines classroom instruction with community service, focusing on critical, reflective thinking as well as personal and civic responsibility. Service learning…

This paper outlines the issues relating to teacher education and teacher supply in Malawi. Malawi has a severe shortage of teachers. Over the years, particularly since EFA the student numbers has gone up yet the teacher supply has not followed the increased student numbers. This paper outlines the broader picture as a basis for further…

The New Century High Schools (NCHS) initiative so far has launched three rounds of new small high schools in New York City, working in collaboration with the Department of Education of the City of New York (DOE), the teachers' and principals' professional associations, and a consortium of funders led by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. New…

This document reviews the results of the first comprehensive survey of the first year in Canadian postsecondary education, and examines the range and consequences of courses of study. It explores students' perceptions of their first year, and evaluates the programs and services that were offered. Chapter 1 compares and contrasts the American and…

Minnesota's Family Service Collaboratives and Children's Initiative Partners encourage cooperation between communities and schools to improve the health of babies and children, increase school readiness, provide stable family environments, and promote basic academic skills. To fulfill the evaluation needs of these programs, this resource manual…

This research brief uses data collected by the Center for Policy Research on the Impact of General and Special Education Reform to highlight issues surrounding the inclusion and exclusion of students with disabilities in state accountability systems. The brief discusses the background of standards-based reform, traditional general education…

A "regional order," let alone a "world order," will be very difficult to achieve. In fact, global disorder has persisted throughout the last century. This paper describes concerns about the existing world order and delineates some of the apparent alternatives. Problems involved in revitalizing civil society in order to…

This paper looks at the process of assessment of a computer-enhanced classroom experience during the implementation phase. It utilizes an assessment model based on Rathbun and Goodrum (1994) that suggests multi-methods of data collection. The use of triangulation to answer a research question fits into the proposed multi-method design. This paper…

This is the fourth in a series of technical reports that have dealt with issues surrounding the possibility of national value-added systems for primary schools in England. The main focus has been on the relative progress made by students between the ends of Key Stage 1 (KS1) and Key Stage 2 (KS2). The analysis has indicated that the strength of…

Educational restructuring concerns a deregulated, decentralized system replacing central planning, control, and supervision. Such restructuring in relation to curriculum, teaching, and learning and the impact of restructuring on key stakeholders at the school-site level is the focus of this book. It uses a selection of international policy-based…

In the 1970s and 1980s, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) built a longitudinal record as the Nation's Report Card based on periodic brief assessments of a modest but representative sample of the nation's students. In 1990, data collection was expanded from a sample of 10,000 students in each grade and subject area to 100,000…

This biennial report is the 23rd report to the Congress on federally funded education programs and the 14th such report submitted by the Department of Education in fulfillment of a Congressional mandate. For FY 1995-1996, there is information on 151 programs administered by the Department. Programs are grouped according to the administering office…

This guide for college faculty attempts to balance assessment theory and practical advice on grading. Grading is viewed as a complex process that serves multiple roles: evaluation, motivation, communication, and organization, and this work provides examples from classrooms in many disciplines, sample assessment plans for departments and general…

The effects of classroom assessment environment (CAE) variables on yearly achievement in mathematics and science in grades 7 through 12 were studied through the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY), using cohorts of approximately 3,000 students each in the 7th and 10th grades who were followed for 4 years. While the LSAY did not include all…

Issues in alternative assessment for accountability purposes are discussed. Most new forms of performance assessment are linked in the literature, but all alternative forms of assessment do not have the same attributes in terms of technical and feasibility criteria. Tradeoffs in the validity of inferences that can be drawn from alternative…