This study was part of a larger study investigating the influence of group collaboration during a group assessment on performance of the group and subsequent widespread performances. This study compared the verbal interactions of students while they completed a science assessment in small collaborative groups with their performance on the same…

Indicators in this volume provide international benchmarks for assessing the condition of education in U.S. states and in the United States as a whole by comparison with many other industrialized countries for which data are available. On six sets of indicators (37 indicators in all), country-level and state-level measures are arrayed side-by-side…

This report summarized observations of administrators at nine colleges in the Academic Quality Consortium (AQC) who assessed the performance of their institutions using the Malcolm Baldrige criteria as a guideline. These criteria include leadership, information and analysis, strategic planning, human resource development and management, management…

The current status of education for 1996 is presented in the form of education "indicators"--key data that measure the health of education, monitor important developments, and show trends in major aspects of education. The 60 indicators have been divided into 6 areas: (1) access, participation, and progress; (2) achievement, attainment,…

In response to a need expressed by Kentucky teachers for curriculum guides as a very important priority that should be addressed to improve instruction and learning as part of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), the study reported here was undertaken. The study investigated the extent to which the state documents and guidelines had been…

This report examines the state of higher education in the United Kingdom and calls for increased funding of higher education to meet the demands of the 21st century. It focuses on the demand for graduates in the labor market, the changing student profile (in regard to age, gender, social class), the demand for student places, funding, salaries,…

This paper examines recent reforms in Mexican higher education identifying positive changes and continuing problems. An overview of the reforms of the 1990s shows shifts in two significant areas. First, funding has increased overall, but priorities have shifted, with funds for higher education and research increasing at a lesser rate than those…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has been collecting data on student achievement since 1969. It currently maintains three different assessments: long-term trends, cross-sectional national, and cross-sectional state-by-state data. Although the data are available to researchers outside the Federal Government, limited use has…

This document lists and outlines the specific educational objectives of the content of the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress's Geography Assessment. The document is divided into two sections: "Assessment Specifications" and "Exercise Specifications." The "Assessment Specifications" provide an overall…

The schoolwide projects conducted by two Muscogee County (Georgia) elementary schools under Chapter 1 are described. The Muscogee County School District is the public school system for Columbus, the state's second largest city. The student body of approximately 31,000 is 54.2 percent Black, with 2.9 percent Hispanic, and only a small number of…

This report compares two studies, one conducted in 1993 and the other in 1996, that examined public attitudes toward higher education in California. Grouping the findings as enduring values, changing concerns, and "dealing with the next tidal wave," the report concludes that Californians: believe education is essential for a decent job…

Graduation rates are often used indicators of the performance of institutions of higher education. How institutions are represented can be profoundly affected by different approaches used to develop the data for the rates. The impact of variations in how these rates are constructed is illustrated by the example of the City University of New York…

This report, first of a biennial series, establishes national priorities for education research. The priorities reflect the ideas and concerns of students, parents, educators, community members, policymakers, and researchers. The seven national priorities that are defined are: (1) improving learning and development in early childhood; (2)…

The 1997 "Condition of Education" is an indicator report, analyzing key data that measure the health of education, monitor important developments, and show trends in major aspects of education. The report first presents four "Issues in Focus": (1) "The Social Context of Education"; (2) "Women in Mathematics and Science"; (3) "Public and Private…

This guide presents eight steps to help states develop educational assessment programs that include students with disabilities and comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Introductory material identifies reasons that states have excluded students with disabilities from their assessment programs. Three key aspects to setting…