This document reports findings of eight Virginia adult educators who designed and conducted research projects within their programs. Abstracts and bibliographies appear first. "Why Tutors Do What They Do" (Karen Cook, Jean Dooley, Charles Fuller) examines responses of volunteer literacy tutors to questions about their expectations and…

A project of Local 343 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America and the Construction Labour Relations Association (CLRA) of Manitoba documented the workplace literacy skills needed by union carpenters on job sites in Manitoba. The following techniques were used: mailed questionnaires to the carpenter members of Local 343 and…

This occasional paper reflects on issues raised during a seminar called "Teachers for the 1990s and Beyond," and deals with teaching and learning in schools where multiple languages are spoken by students. Central to the seminar was the recognition of the growing numbers of language minority English learners (LMELs) in schools where…

This is the second of four working papers on dissemination policies, commissioned in 1993 by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. It is intended to stimulate discussion and the exchange of insights on the government's role in empowering educators to contribute to the evaluation of innovations they use to improve education.…

This document provides a portfolio of resources for educators involved in rural school improvement. The Federal Interagency Committee on Education developed a national research and development (R&D) agenda for rural education that focuses on six themes: rural school effectiveness, curricular provisions, school-community partnerships, human…

This paper describes the goals, planning, governance, faculty roles, faculty development, and research activities at two professional development schools (PDSs) affiliated with Armstrong State College (Georgia). The college launched PDS partnerships with White Bluff Elementary School and Bartlett Middle School in September 1993. The roles of…

A significant change in vocational education brought about by the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act 1990 amendments was the introduction of outcome-based accountability. Accountability from the local perspective was explored through interviews with local program administrators, staff, students, and employers in secondary and…

Focusing on the major educational initiatives of our times--the National Education Goals outlined and endorsed in 1990 by the nation's governors, and President Bush's America 2000 strategy--this report reviews and summarizes information about the role of libraries in many different educational efforts designed to meet the national goals. It is…

This document contains the final report and the third-year report of the Center for Adult Learning Research, which was established at Montana State University (MSU) in December 1985 with support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. The final report reviews first- through third-year activities. It describes the following research projects: strategies…

Educational practices in tracking and ability grouping are reviewed, and it is suggested that cooperative learning strategies are effective alternatives for students who need preparation for the challenges of citizenship in the future. Research studies have given rise to many criticisms of tracking, particularly as it relates to minorities,…

This digest focuses on several issues in school desegregation that stem from recent changes in demography, policy, and research. Change in student diversity, the first consideration, is even more marked in cities than in the country as a whole, with only 9 of 47 urban cities in the Great City Schools network having a majority white enrollment.…

The Field-Initiated Studies program is open to institutions of higher education, public and private organizations, institutions, and agencies, as well as individuals. Applicants may propose projects that last up to 18 months, and proposals are reviewed and evaluated based on their technical quality and national importance judged by scholars and…

Although the work of Celestin Freinet has exerted considerable influence on European education, it remains largely unknown to English-speaking educators. The Modern School Movement (MSM), which Freinet founded in 1926, is worldwide in scope, and has affiliated organizations in 13 countries with correspondent groups in more than 20 nations. The MSM…

A study addressed the ways in which classroom interaction is structured explicitly and implicitly through a teacher's questions. It examined how this was done through the questions one teacher asked in her adult literacy class and what insights could be gained for adult literacy staff development programs. The research was undertaken in mid-1990…

Reasons why some students complete further education (FE) and others drop-out were examined in a study involving a sample of 9,000 students and staff from 31 inner city, urban, and rural FE colleges throughout the United Kingdom. Data were collected from the following sources: interviews with FE college managers, staff, and students; review of…