This brief identifies the features of high-quality after-school settings that have emerged from the research and are reflected in program quality tools. It also examines key research linking program quality to positive developmental outcomes; it reviews current practice in program quality assessment; and it offers considerations for policymakers…

Economic pressures on universities and the emergence of new technologies have spurred the creation of new systems for delivering engineering laboratories in education, in particular simulations and remote-access laboratory systems. Advocates of simulation argue that physical labs needlessly consume university space and students' time. However,…

This article summarizes results of a national study conducted to evaluate the private practice career intentions of MSW graduate student members of the National Association of Social Workers NASW (n = 271), the extent to which these students are being prepared for private practice by the graduate schools, and the views of the graduate deans (n =…

Research on "self-regulated learning" has evolved from classic models focused exclusively on the student and the learning process, to models which take into consideration the context or the teaching process, as an element which can stimulate self-regulation in students. The DEDEPRO[TM] model is offered as a model of the latter type,…

The new independent Christian schools developed by parents and evangelical churches in the United Kingdom since the late 1960s remain controversial among both Christian and secular educators. In response to this controversy, the present study traced 106 men who had graduated from these schools between 1985 and 2003 and analysed their evaluation of…

The National Commission on Excellence in Education (1983) published "A Nation at Risk", declaring the mediocrity of American educational performances. Twenty-five years later, our nation still remains at risk even though the federal government, through the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, has attempted to create a…

Instructor evaluation forms--those scannable surveys that students use to rate the quality of their instructors and courses at the end of every term--are the most common method of assessing teaching effectiveness in the United States. A considerable body of research on end-of-course evaluations suggests that student ratings are valid sources of…

Traditionally, education in Scotland has been viewed as a national service that is locally administered. This research casts new light on that relationship between the Scottish Executive and local authorities by drawing on evidence from an evaluation of the implementation of the additional support staff element of the Teachers' Agreement which…

In the past decade in the United States, pre-kindergarten programs for four year olds have expanded rapidly as a potentially powerful intervention intended to promote school readiness for children at-risk for future school failure. This paper describes in detail multi-dimensional profiles of observed quality across 692 classrooms in 11 states…

Purpose: The study investigates how various accountability contexts--including states, local boards, districts, school site councils, parent associations, and teachers--affect the ability of principals to influence instructional and supervisory decisions in their schools. Data: Data for the analysis come from 1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey…

As Universal Pre-K efforts sweep the nation, so does the development of state standards that define the skills and the knowledge that young children should be developing. The goal of these standards is to ensure the school readiness of all students. While the goals mentioned in this article are taken from the New Jersey Department of Education's…

A set of procedures is described for constructing an assessment network composed of a connected system of rater and writing task banks within the context of large-scale assessments of written composition. The calibration of the assessment tasks and the measurement of individuals are viewed as separate, although complementary, activities. The…

This digest identifies Internet resources of particular interest to the educational assessment community. Gopher sites and web sites are identified and discussed for the following organizations and institutions: (1) American Educational Research Association; (2) American Evaluation Association; (3) Arizona State University College of Education;…

Connecticut's school-accountability law, Connecticut General Statute 10-220(c), requires reporting on a broad-based system of educational indicators that include measures of student needs, school resources, school performance (process), and student performance. This paper presents findings of a study that, using information from Connecticut's…

This social studies course of study for the Cincinnati (Ohio) Public Schools is organized into four sections. Section 1 highlights the broad changes from the previous course of study in the Overview, Introduction, and Special Program Features sections. Program features described in detail include significant areas of new emphasis: history…