This study describes the nine regional educational laboratories supported by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI). The labs are operating under 5-year contracts for 1986-1990. The study analyzed lab-produced documents, describing lab operation for the first 2 years of this period, highlighting the status of the program at the…

This paper explores the idea of excellence in education and provides some suggestions of how excellence can be achieved in a vocational education program. The first part of the booklet describes the components of excellence in vocational education, such as excellent teachers; meeting the needs of students, the community, and employers; and being…

Professional development for teachers will continue to be central to the continuing need to help schools deal more effectively with the problems of change. Three themes are emphasized--the individual teacher, the school, and the system. This publication, consisting of 24 papers, is intended to inform public debate on the issue which is critical to…

The philosophy of accreditation is discussed in a paper commissioned by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools for a project on "Rethinking Accreditation." After defining accreditation and distinguishing it from assessment, evaluation and "meta-evaluation" are discussed, including the nature of accreditation in…

A needs assessment was conducted to determine how county cooperative extension advisors in Illinois perceive their duties and what they consider their needs for inservice education. Questionnaires identifying 14 competencies needed by cooperative extension agents were sent to county extension advisors; the 298 that were returned constituted the…

Ever since Aristotle, educators have stressed the need for education for the worthy use of leisure time. Problems with individual and societal perceptions, teacher preparation and attributes, and curriculum organization, however, have prevented meaningful leisure education programs from becoming a reality. The major barrier to effective leisure…

Reports of declining test scores and high school graduates who can't read or compute have triggered a public demand for higher standards in education. In light of this demand, National Assessment re-examined its role with respect to raising educational quality in this country. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) asked seven…

An excellent teacher education program demands the careful integration of both campus-based and field-based instruction over a substantial amount of time. Teachers must be thoroughly prepared in general academic work and in pedagogy, and they should be exposed to the actualities of the classroom. An excellent teacher education program needs high…

Historically, teaching has been considered an art, not a science, and therefore not subject to scientific analysis. However, there now exists a body of knowledge and a fresh set of conceptions about teaching upon which to base teacher education. Recent and numerous advances in pedagogical knowledge can now be used to provide teacher education with…

This study is an evaluation of the functions and activities of two educational resource centers in Ghana. Issues examined and evaluated are: (1) accessibility and availability of the centers' facilities and services; (2) adequacy of the centers' materials and facilities to meet teachers' various needs; (3) relevance of the centers' activities to…

One model that can serve as a guide for developing a reading program and for making necessary refinements to meet the specific needs of the school system served divides the stages of development into three phases. The first phase, program organization, deals with planning, implementing, and maintaining the program. In other words the first phase…

While self-pacing may appear to be an ideal solution to problems stemming from individual differences in academic skill levels among college students, students in Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) courses may tend to procrastinate. Three course contingencies were studied for their effectiveness in reducing student procrastination and…

Discusses the need for child advocacy in education and other social services for children. Points to school psychology as providing an ideal opportunity for many child advocacy concepts to be implemented. Describes how child advocacy can be built into the school psychology training program. (Author/PC)

Developed as an EPDA (Educational Professions Development Act) inservice training activity, the conference discussed in this report was designed to primarily determine those basic beliefs, principles, and concepts of vocational education subscribed to by region V conference participants, and secondly to discuss the relationship of policymaking to…

This document investigates the effectiveness and application of state laws relating to comprehensive health education. Many states mandate comprehensive health education and leave the choice of topics to be taught up to the individual school system or teacher. This study evaluates the health knowledge of a selected population of twelfth-grade…