Defines ethnography and principles of high-quality ethnographic work, including a focus on group behavior, holism, emic-etic perspectives, comparison, grounded theory, and data collection and analysis techniques. The promise of ethnography for improving English as a second language teaching and teacher education is discussed. (Author/CB)

The "Ziegarnik effect," a learner's tendency to recall uncompleted tasks longer than completed ones and to remember failures more easily than successes, is applied to improving programs for the subgroup of students with emotional/behavioral disorders who show little benefit from special education interventions, and to teacher…

Reviews the unique health care needs of children in the out-of-home care system and the standards developed over the past decade to deliver comprehensive health care services to this population. Raises key policy and practice questions for each standard to facilitate effective implementation of recommendations makes suggestions for future research…

This paper describes the evaluation approach, techniques, and instruments adopted during the first 2 years of a 3-year multicultural/antiracist educational leadership program in 4 Canadian provinces involving approximately 200 secondary students. The formative evaluation of these two years was aimed at program achievement. (SLD)

Computer technology supports independent learning, a fundamental goal in Montessori education. Language and research are also fundamental, and computer technology enables and enhances all three goals in the child's hands. A Montessori teacher gives a detailed discussion of and plan for a social studies unit designed for computer utilization in…

Examines the distinction between extrinsically motivated evaluation, which addresses the concerns of the bureaucracy, and intrinsically motivated evaluation, which addresses specific concerns of teachers and learners to improve aspects of ESL/EFL programs. An approach to evaluation is proposed that might satisfy both parties, using a current…

Kent State University (Ohio) has focused on developing an organizational culture that expects and promotes quality. A college finance division statement, distributed to division staff, identifies its values and beliefs and emphasizes a culture in which planning, empowerment, and continuous improvement are key elements. (MSE)

Reflects on the role of service education, suggesting that a comprehensive program might include locating service education within a social context, offering community service and service learning projects, developing a service education climate through projects fully integrated into a given teacher's academic curriculum, incorporating both social…

A review of the bibliographic instruction (BI) format for business and career information in a business writing class at Louisiana State University revealed that a new framework was needed. Problems of the current format, results of student surveys, questioning techniques, learning models, and the role of assignments were examined. The conceptual…

Examines how principals of high achieving middle schools use their various roles to promote student achievement and engage the school community--staff members, students, and parents--in studying and addressing the achievement needs of students. Outlines the characteristics of the principal's roles as inspirational leader, human resource developer,…

This article describes service outcomes for people with disabilities, achieved by local Oregon communities during the past five years as they have implemented a community capacity building model called the Community Transition Team Model. Principles of successful programs included active participation of diverse stakeholders, change viewed as a…

Focuses on the resurgence of action research in teaching. Based on the concept that education is a social science whose theoretical principles should be grounded in the practitioner's knowledge, action research is a viable model for getting teachers involved in educational research. A typical action research project develops in successive stages.…

The University of Illinois' Leadership Development Program for special needs professionals uses Program Improvement Projects--action plans for a program change to be implemented by participant teams (vocational educators, special educators, and adult service providers). (SK)

The concept of risk-adjusted measures of quality is discussed, and a methodology is proposed for risk-adjusting and integrating multiple adverse outcomes of anesthesia services into measures for quality assurance and quality improvement programs. Although designed for a new anesthesiology database, the methods should apply to other health…

The use of qualitative data in the refinement of a research program in human immunodeficiency virus studies in a military population is described. Three mechanisms of patient participation (a protocol advisor, a participant advisory panel, and focus groups) provided important feedback for adapting the research process. (SLD)