Describes implementation of the "process workshop" model for university chemistry classroom instruction. Defines process workshop as a classroom environment where students are actively engaged in learning a discipline and developing essential skills by working in self-managed teams on activities that involve guided discovery, critical thinking,…

These steps are described for implementation: inform stakeholders of the importance of alternate assessments, educate all students to high standards, identify partners to support participants, use a practical process to decide eligibility, develop standards-based Individualized Education Programs, use a variety of assessment strategies, use scores…

In the new century people are all aware of the centrality of school systems to the future well-being of their societies as well as their economies. The shared moral purpose of almost every educator is to improve outcomes for all students and simultaneously promote equity. This is the ethical context for the author's discussion of accountability…

A statement that governments in the South Asia region are increasingly distancing themselves from adult literacy drew comment from some experts in education and health that it is "too sweeping" and should not be aired without adequate references and data to substantiate it. The arguments in support of the verities of adult literacy and…

Results are reported from a national validation survey of early childhood and early childhood special education professionals and family members related to guidelines for implementing accountability systems at the preschool level. Of the 47 statements included on the survey, 43 were validated by 75% or more of the 299 respondents. Specific…

This exploratory study describes a teacher educator's efforts to organize her instructional practice around an assessment portfolio mandated by the state and examines the effectiveness of such endeavor. Findings revealed that, when a link between teaching and the required assessment portfolio was created, students' self-efficacy and performance in…

We review a plan that attracted the attention of public sector planners everywhere, Oregon's 1989 "Oregon Shines: An Economic Strategy for the Pacific Century". In particular, we focus on Oregon's aspirations for world-class workforce quality; a status that the state's planners argued would contribute to a host of other outcomes that…

This paper examines and compares the recent emphases in school education and school leadership training in Australia and the state of Tasmania as they relate to the democratic purposes of schools. It finds a strong emphasis on the democratic purposes of schools and congruence between these purposes and the means of achieving them, in respect of…

Dianne Thurab-Nkhosi, Marilyn Lee, and Daniela Gianni-Gachago examine the University of Botswana's (UB) e-learning initiative headed by the Educational Technology Unit (EduTech). EduTech promotes change campus-wide by encouraging partnerships among UB's information technology department, library, Center for Continuing Education, and academic…

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have become central to education and training in Library and Information Science/Service (LIS) because of the great influence of these technologies on the professional world. This study on Kenya is part of a larger doctoral research project that aims to map and audit the types, nature and diffusion…

There is a paucity of research about how the policies enacted by states either foster or hinder charter schools' service to disadvantaged students or how the characteristics of charter schools themselves affect this outcome. By combining data from the US Department of Education's Schools and Staffing Survey with data on the characteristics of…

Pressure for better measurement of stated learning outcomes has resulted in a demand for more frequent assessment. The resources available are seen to be static or dwindling, but Information and Communications Technology is seen to increase productivity by automating assessment tasks. This paper reviews computer-assisted assessment (CAA) and…

The authors investigated student and faculty perceptions of academic challenge at their institution, based on early administrations of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). This analysis revealed that the NSSE did not fully capture many meanings of academic challenge held by these faculty and students. This study led to a proposal for…

In this volume, highly regarded authors in the field of reading research share what they know about today's hottest topic in education--Response to Intervention (RTI), the key to helping struggling students "before they fall behind." More than 30 expert contributors reveal what the latest research says about RTI's Three-Tier Approach:…

This 18th "Annual Condition of Education Report" provides a wide range of demographics, statistics, and student achievement data to help Iowans better understand their public educational system. Much of the data in this report demonstrates that that Iowa continues to rate above national averages in areas such as student test scores,…