The perceptions of elementary school teachers toward the initiation of the New York State program evaluation tests (PETs) in science and social studies were studied. In New York, the PETs are intended to assess the local instructional program, rather than evaluate students. The social studies (grade 6) and science (grade 4) PETs were implemented…

The role and influence of mandated testing in educational reform are reviewed. Mandated testing refers to large-scale (districtwide or statewide) multiple-choice testing programs used for policy purposes of evaluation and accountability, which includes nationally normed standardized achievement tests and tests custom-developed to reflect state and…

Urban school restructuring, although it can break down bureaucracy and empower teachers, can also seem distant from the day-to-day problems of most teachers, and even increase teacher burnout. Many of the following initiatives of the school restructuring movement may intensify a teacher's frustration: (1) school-based management may raise the…

In October 1991, a labor market assessment was conducted to provide information and direction for the curriculum development and evaluation efforts of the Eastern Iowa Community College District's (EICCD's) Business Computer Programming (BCP) Program. The study focused on employment opportunities for and educational needs of personnel performing…

The Baltimore City (Maryland) Public Schools (BCPSs) established the Institute for Middle School Reform at the end of 1991-92 to create an administrative vehicle for systemic middle grades reform. The Institute's mission is to provide each individual middle school community with data-driven planning, implementation, and evaluation tools and…

Workers in five departments of the J.P. Stevens Plant in Clemson, South Carolina, participated in a workplace literacy project that was designed to increase participants' literacy and job skills and increase the literacy training efforts of textile plants in the Southeast. Major project activities included the following: identification of the…

The Bibliographic Instruction Committee of the Wichita State (Kansas) University Libraries recommended changes to improve the current bibliographic instruction program for lower division undergraduates. The shortcomings of the current program, one class period in a required English course, were analyzed; and suggestions were made to improve the…

This study, which examined the curricular decision making of student teachers, links research on the socialization of preservice teacher education with work focusing on socialization in the workplace. Interviews were conducted with four student teachers during their student teaching experience and 1 year after it. Curriculum materials used by the…

This multi-contributor volume addresses the challenges of providing early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities, within a family-centered framework. The book provides a legislative review of the key elements of eligibility, assessment, and evaluation and then examines service coordination, curricula, special intervention…

This document reports the proceedings of a national conference to chart the comprehensive changes needed to meet the challenges of undergraduate professional education in agriculture. Part I of the proceedings contains the following 14 conference papers: (1) "Rethinking Undergraduate Professional Education for the Twenty-First Century: The…

The Core Course Proficiency initiative in the State of New Jersey is an outgrowth of the recommendations from two study panels convened to review and revise high school graduation requirements and to consider the need for and impact of establishing a common core of knowledge and skills in specified high school courses. This document presents the…

The five chapters of this monograph review the literature and propose best practices for the successful transition of youth with disabilities from school to adult life in the community. The opening chapter, "Transition from School to Integrated Communities" (Janis Chadsey-Rusch and others), offers a review of the research on outcomes attained by…

In 1988, 11 faculty members at Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC), Michigan, taught a customized honors class at KVCC focussing on connections between disciplines. It soon became clear how little faculty members understood and appreciated their colleagues' fields and perspectives. Following the course, faculty participants concluded that…

This guide provides curriculum developers, education faculty, veteran teachers, and student teachers with basic information on the background of early childhood curriculum, as well as current information on publications, standards, and special materials for early childhood classrooms. Following an introduction, the material is presented in 14…

This second volume in a four-volume study of industry- and education-driven skill standards in the United States and other countries contains information on how the individual states have been involved in the development of skills standards related efforts. Section A presents information regarding how nine states--Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho,…