Within the context of traditional quality management principles, a program designed to enhance soft skills of College Algebra students was piloted in fall 2001. Results of the pilot project include increased retention, persistence, note-taking ability, and positive responses concerning course expectations. Quality enhancement efforts in this…

The PDA was originally conceived of as a portable handheld electronic device that provided a user with a tool to organize his or her life through easy access to a personal calendar, daily planner, and address book. Over the years, these devices have expanded to include many new functions, which have helped more applications in diverse fields. This…

Although a necessary component of good program management and accountability, monitoring data do not usually provide answers to questions about whether, how, and why a specific program works. More in-depth, systematic inquiry is needed to do this. In this article, the authors focus on the evaluation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-prevention…

A child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and a history of aberrant behaviors participated in this study with his mother. The primary purpose of the current study was to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of FCT on decreasing problem behaviors, increasing communication mands, and increasing spontaneous communication with a child with ASD…

In this article, the authors describe the balanced literacy pilot program at Monroe Middle School in Tampa, Florida. Monroe implemented the program as part of a districtwide effort to improve student literacy. It uses a four-pronged approach to improve literacy: (1) read-alouds; (2) independent reading; (3) shared reading; and (4) guided reading.…

The Greater Flint Educational Consortium on Writing Improvement, comprising local high school teachers and area college writing instructors, has worked for several years to improve the transition students make from their high school to college writing experiences. The focus of the most recent consortium was on writing support services. This…

This pilot study evaluated the influence of an advocacy training workshop sponsored by an Eta Sigma Gamma chapter affiliated with a large university in the Midwest. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) was utilized as a framework for assessing participants' intentions to participate in advocacy. Participants completed pre- and post-test surveys to…

The present article is based on the results of an expert survey and a survey of young people in the schools of two Russian cities, Moscow and Kazan (2003). The study focused on making the research problem more explicit and testing the set of instruments, which was developed with the authors' participation in the framework of the Eurogang research…

Pennsylvania has maintained a nontraditional pathway for the certification of secondary-level vocational teachers since the 1920s. The key that opens the door to that pathway is the verification of subject mastery via: (1) documentation of a learning period in the occupation; (2) documentation of related paid work experience beyond the learning…

This article guides readers through the decisions and considerations involved in conducting focus-group research investigations into students' learning experiences. One previously published focus-group study is used as an illustrative example, along with other examples from the field of pedagogic research in geography higher education. An approach…

AskNow! online answers Australia-wide, the first nation-wide chat reference service, has been a successful exercise in collaboration and cooperation. This article examines some of the lessons learnt, the challenges of collaboration and possible future directions. AskNow!, an initiative of the Council of Australian State Libraries (CASL), commenced…

In the last few decades, the Language Policy Division of the Council of Europe restructured its efforts to help European citizens learn European languages for survival purposes to facilitate travel and work throughout Europe. With the idea of daily language use and plurilingual competence in mind, it published the Common European Framework of…

Power Teaching weaves four factors into a seamless whole: standards, teaching thinking, research based strategies, and critical inquiry. As a prototype in its first year of development with an urban fifth grade class, the power teaching model connects selected district standards, thinking routines from Harvard University Project Zero Research…

This paper describes a nurture group pilot project that took place in three schools in Hampshire. Results suggested that children in the nurture groups made significant social and emotional gains after attending a group. These gains were recognised by the children themselves and their parents. They were also generalised into the classroom.…

The purpose of the study was to demonstrate that two schools which were geographically separated could be digitally included using broadband radio connections, interactive white-boards and other technologies to enable virtual interactive and collaborative lessons. The project was established to overcome a transport problem of bussing learners from…