The efforts of two pilot accelerated schools serving poor and minority students are evaluated in this report. A program goal was to integrate improvement at the school and community levels. Section 1 briefly describes the attitudes and meanings predominant in schools serving poor and minority youth. The focus on the individual, a narrow view of…

The inservice training module, developed as part of the Child-Centered Inservice Training Project (Syracuse, New York) is designed for use with educators providing services for students with developmental disabilities and behavior problems. The module comprises six units which incorporate theory, demonstration, practice, and feedback and is…

Two methods of using collateral information from similar institutions to predict college freshman grade average were investigated. One central prediction model, referred to as pooled least squares with adjusted intercepts, assumes that slopes and residual variances are homogeneous across selected colleges. The second model, referred to as Bayesian…

Limitations of using linear, unilevel regression procedures in modeling student achievement are discussed. This study is a part of a broader study that is developing an empirically-based predictive model of variables associated with academic achievement from a multilevel perspective and examining the differences by which parameters are estimated…

After a brief review of recent research concerning school effectiveness, this paper proposes an approach to operationalizing school effectiveness that is based on the achievement of students in a school over a period of time. This three-level model does not follow a single cohort of students as they progress through school. Rather, it uses the…

Predictor weights estimated by using multiple linear regression are biased when there is restriction in the range (RR) of the dependent variable. Standardized multiple regression yields partial correlations as weights for the predictors, and these can be corrected for range difference between calibration and application samples. However,…

The combination of Afrocentric students in Eurocentric schools results in a conflict of cultures that places black students at risk. Although schools endorse societal beliefs concerning equal treatment and equality of educational opportunities, certain practices such as the hidden curriculum, tracking, and discriminatory discipline practices are…

The recruitment, screening, and appointment of faculty and staff are vital steps towards institutional excellence. The holistic approach to hiring reviews every aspect of each candidate's qualifications from various points of view. The approach begins with the formation of a screening/search committee consisting of a representative group of…

The Oral Communication Program at Radford University (Virginia) is designed to: (1) provide programming, facilities, and professional expertise to help students and faculty improve oral communication skills; and (2) support and facilitate the incorporation of oral communication into the undergraduate curriculum throughout the university, using the…

Research activities underway as part of the Air Force's Learning Abilities Measurement Program (LAMP) are described. A major objective of the program is to devise new models of the nature and organization of human abilities, that could be applied to improve personnel selection and classification systems. The activities of the project have been…

Intended to provide an alternative approach to learning situations or enhance existing programs, this docoument outlines an instructional unit about model rocketry. A philosophy statement is included which stresses the need for teaching about science-related social issues. Goals of the unit are stated for fine arts, mathematics, physical…

In order to build robust natural language processing systems that can detect and recover from miscommunication, the investigation of how people communicate and how they recover from problems in communication described in this artificial intelligence report focused on reference problems which a listener may have in determining what or whom a…

Based on a doctoral dissertation that involved a study of the nation's 100 most successful school computer systems, this report summarizes the study's purpose, scope, methodology, resultant model, general observations, and future implications. The model is divided into two major sections: (1) strategic planning activities, focusing on computer…

In the Dutch national examinations, reading comprehension tests are used for all languages. For the native language, reading comprehension is tested with reading passages and related questions to which the test-taker provides his own response, not choosing from a group of alternatives. One problem encountered in testing with these items is…

College preferences and choices of a sample of high-ability high school seniors applying to colleges in spring 1984 were studied to determine the award of no-need (merit) aid to the students and the degree to which such aid influences college choices, in relation to other factors. A multistage model of college choice behavior was employed that…