In recent years, criticism of high school graduates' lack of readiness for college and work has led a number of states to raise high school graduation requirements--particularly in terms of the number and rigor of courses students must pass. This issue of "The Progress of Education Reform" addresses end-of-course assessments at the high…

Online students face challenges with communication and socialization in the asynchronous distance-learning classroom because of a missing face-to-face, nonverbal communications. With the increased demand for online education and the high attrition rate, online educational leaders may consider opportunities for improvement in the areas of…

This paper describes an effort to bridge research and practice in residential care through implementing a program model titled Children and Residential Experiences (CARE). The strategy involves consulting at all levels of the organization to guide personnel to incorporate CARE evidence-based principles into daily practice, and fostering an…

Technological fields, like engineering, are in desperate need of more qualified workers, yet not enough students are pursuing studies in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) that would prepare them for technical careers. Unfortunately, many students have no interest in STEM careers, particularly engineering, because they are not…

Under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, schools must identify children and youth in homeless situations and provide appropriate services. One such service is immediate enrollment in school, even when students lack paperwork normally required for enrollment, such as school records, proof of guardianship, a birth certificate, immunization…

While educators often have rich information on the strategies used in their own school, they may have little information about the strategies or practices in other schools--particularly the specific practices of consistently high-performing schools. To provide an outside compass for those seeking to improve, members at National Center for…

Establishing effective transition programs for students entering high school is an ongoing process. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore best practices transition programs employ to aid student's success. The participants in this study were six administrators chosen from a population of administrators at 60 central Indiana high…

Lumina Foundation For Education has funded many efforts to improve the educational outcomes of students, institutions and agencies in higher education. In addressing systemic issues in education achievement--and specifically college completion--Lumina has been a leading organization supporting initiatives to understand and overcome the many,…

The purpose of this applied research study was to determine from faculty what they believe are best practices in online education and what they believe will improve online education. The study targeted two-year, public colleges in the State of Oklahoma with complete degrees offered online. The study obtained data regarding the current quality of…

This study identifies essential program elements for Whatcom Discovery Center, a Northwest Educational Service District cooperative program providing academic and social/emotional development services to students who are challenged with severe social/emotional and/or chronic mental health disorders. The seven (7) Superintendents and seven (7)…

Recent findings from a Mathematica study comparing the performance of teachers prepared via alternative and traditional routes have been interpreted to suggest that policymakers and practitioners should expand the use of fast-entry alternative routes and seek teachers trained through such programs, as they presumably perform as well in the…

Longitudinal cohort analysis is a powerful tool for helping colleges understand student performance. It involves tracking students as a group or cohort over a specified period of time. The results allow administrators, faculty, and staff to identify groups of students who are succeeding or falling behind and the points in the educational pipeline…

This mixed methods study investigates the relationship between fifth-grade teachers' social studies knowledge and beliefs and their relationship to classroom practices. Quantitative data were collected through a beliefs and classroom practices survey and 60-item knowledge test covering the areas of American History, America and the World,…

Schools of all types and sizes are exploring the merits and facets of online learning approaches; but, the online delivery literature has focused on "best practices" generated primarily through the experiences of larger schools that are on the leading edge of this innovation. Small public schools, on the other hand, are faced with unique…

The National Center for School Counseling Outcome Research (CSCOR) at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst studied exemplary practices of 18 high schools that received recognition for college preparation and placement in 2004 and 2005. Through interviews with key personnel at each of the high schools, the researchers generated a set of ten…