One solution to the problem of providing instruction for medical students is to use nurses as clinical instructors for each of the required clinical clerkships. A study was conducted to evaluate the use of nurses as instructors in a school of medicine by studying students' perceptions of nurse instructors. Focus groups and individual interviews…

The purpose of this study was to use quality improvement tools to determine if the current process of supplying hot water to a high-rise residence hall for women at a southeastern Doctoral I granting institution was in control. After a series of focus groups among the residents in the hall, it was determined that they were mostly concerned about…

Women continue to be underrepresented at senior management level in large UK and US corporations despite growing organisational sensitivity to diversity issues and government initiatives. This study addresses how and whether this situation might change in the future, and the implications for career development from the perspective of senior women…

This paper presents research results from evaluations of the effectiveness of coalitions, and also presents a discussion of the identified characteristics of effective coalitions, a measurement tool developed to assess coalition effectiveness, and the application of this tool. Characteristics of successful coalitions and partnerships that have…

As the 20th century closes, Americans access information via a variety of media, and, for most, print is not premier among these. Nonetheless, printed texts, at least in academic arenas, remain the "gold standard" by which other media are valued. The Center on English Learning and Achievement's (CELA) Technology and Literate Thinking…

The usefulness of involvement and talent development theory in the assessment of charter schools and their students' success was studied as part of an effort to develop an assessment that would match the views of primary stakeholders (parents and teachers) more authentically. The research considered how parents and teachers define success in…

Recently, training efforts have been undertaken to reduce the negative outcomes associated with increased verbal aggressiveness and accentuate the positive outcomes associated with increased argumentativeness within adolescent populations. This paper presents both positive and negative aspects of assessing aggressive communication predispositions…

Many school systems are facing mandated, systemic change, through the imposition of standards-based reform. Ontario (Canada) is no different than many other jurisdictions. Mandated, systemic change has impacted teaching and learning in Ontario classrooms. The issue of boys' underachievement in literacy appears to resurface whenever student…

This evaluation report contains information on the teacher professional development (Teacher Reading Academies) and the Accelerated Reading Instruction program. According to the report, the evaluation design utilized case study research, survey research, focus groups, and analysis of administrative data and student information in producing the…

Most often, new teachers default to the pedagogical practices they themselves were exposed to as teacher candidates. If teacher education programs are to promote the value of collaboration, they must teach and model collaborative pedagogy within their programs. This study is a qualitative examination of the soundness of two forms of collaborative…

"My Learning Curve" is a visual rapid appraisal technique that was developed in Canada for exploratory use in one of a series of loosely coupled evaluation studies of a redesigned teacher education plan. It is designed to allow teacher candidates enrolled in the program to depict quickly and visually, rather than verbally, their…

A focus group study examined child care experiences of 16 low-income women living in Cleveland, Ohio to gain an understanding of these women's experiences with child care in general and with the system that assures access to child care subsidies or vouchers for supported child care. Several themes emerged from the study: (1) parents prefer placing…

The primary purpose of this study was to empirically determine the relationship between staff acceptance of the Baldrige Model as a school improvement innovation and types of staff development. The secondary purpose was to establish from the literature the relationship between staff acceptance and school improvement. Professional development…

The U.S. Department of Education is undertaking a study of credit-based transition programs (CBTPs) called the Accelerating Student Success project. The study is being carried out by the Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University (CCRC); and DTI Associates, Inc. The purpose of the study is to investigate the ways in…

Boston College (Massachusetts) conducted focus group research on its admission bulletin during high school visits by having students express preferences for bulletin cover format and content. Students expressed enjoyment of the task, and the process invigorated the visit. The findings resulted in a new cover design researched at little expense to…