A meta-analysis of inservice teacher education research determines the significance of the following factors for learning effectiveness: training objectives, training duration, training group characteristics, location and scheduling, sponsorship, participant incentives, structure, and instructional technique. Suggestions to help staff developers…

The Colorado Rural Recreation Director's Project, based on a 1981 national survey identifying recreation/leisure needs of rural Americans, provided summer recreation for 11 western Colorado rural communities. Clinics in New Games, frisbee, hackisac, and tennis were given. Successful networking of resources by all involved parties produced positive…

Five individual-level independent variables--life stage (age), social status, health, informal social support, and stress--were measured to assess the dependent variable, use of social services. Only the existence of informal social support proved significant, indicating a need for informal networks and educational programs, as well as for…

A survey of parents in urban and rural school districts showed a strong belief in the importance of elementary school social studies and more support for innovations such as the curriculum guidelines of the National Council for the Social Studies than publicity about demands to return to basics would suggest. (IS)

In October 2002, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) contracted with Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MRP) to help identify issues pertinent to the evaluation of Title I and to propose feasible evaluation design strategies. This design effort took its lead from two sources: (1) the Title I Independent Review Panel (IRP); and (2) a more…

The purpose of the research study was to investigate the leisure behavior, social avoidance and distress, social self-efficacy, life satisfaction, global function, and negative symptoms of 26 individuals with chronic mental illnesses who reside in group homes. The study used a treatment group and a control group design to evaluate the…

With the development of information technology, computer-assisted language learning is becoming a trend in foreign language teaching environment. It is argued that characterized by the universal availability of authentic materials, the multimedia capability and the nonlinear (hypermedia) structure of the information, the World Wide Web have the…

In August 2004 the first ever federally funded school voucher program began in Washington, D.C. Eligible students could attend a private school of their choice in the District of Columbia. Each participant received up to $7,500 for school tuition, fees, and transportation. In addition, the D.C. Public School System (DCPS) and D.C. charter school…

This study was commissioned to investigate whether or not, and if so, how, use of different assessment methods makes a difference to learner achievement and progress in the learning and skills sector (LSS). This is the first comprehensive study of assessment procedures and practices employed across the full range of LSS contexts--school sixth…

This report argues that evidence exists for the case that the charter school movement is largely a failed reform. The report puts the charter school movement in the context of dissatisfaction with public schools and the public sector in general. It then describes the claims for charters made by the early charter school advocates, emphasizing the…

There has been a worldwide growth of interest among governments and international agencies in cross-national studies of the quality of education. However, such studies require careful planning, and have far-reaching implications for all concerned. Ministries of education should only become involved if they are prepared to actively engage in…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of pair problem solving technique incorporating Polya's problem solving strategy on undergraduate students' performance in conceptual and algorithmic questions in chemistry. The subjects of this study were 89 students enrolled from two first year chemistry classes. The experimental group was…

In 2005, the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) helped more children, more parents and more educators than ever before. Through their programs, information services, and policy initiatives, they raised awareness, mobilized advocates, and took action to help ensure that learning disabilities are identified and addressed early and…

Universal design is an approach to educational assessment based on principles of accessibility for a wide variety of end users. Elements of universal design include inclusive test population; precisely defined constructs; accessible, non-biased items; tests that are amenable to accommodations; simple, clear and intuitive procedures; maximum…

The sourcebook is for those people who serve as administrators of adult basic, adult secondary, and/or adult English-for-speakers-of-other-languages (ESOL) programs, whether those programs are school-based, community-based, or community-college-based. This is one of the various tools developed through the National Center for the Study of Adult…