Trends in expenses, financial assistance, and indebtedness for students studying health professions and the effects of financial considerations on career choice were examined. The objective was to determine financial disincentives to graduates of health professions schools that affect their choice of practice specialty or their decision to…

Examined were (1) the long-term effectiveness of Head Start; and (2) the success of the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS) in educating children from low-income families. The first focus of the study compared the performance of Head Start graduates in elementary and secondary schools to that of students who had applied for Head…

This summary of a forum for migrant educators defines dropout issues, explores solutions and models of service, and offers recommendations to address the needs of out-of-school migrant youth. Notes from forum workshops and summary task force reports deal with dropout identification/needs assessment, dropout/enrollment/graduation data, interagency…

In fall 1986, a study was conducted at Florence-Darlington Technical College (South Carolina) to measure the reliability and validity of the TEC-MAT, a newly developed entrance test. The TEC-MAT instrument, a criterion-referenced test consisting of 100 items assessing numerical skills, was field tested among a group of entry-level freshmen already…

The Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) was developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), in response to Texas House Bill 72 (1984), which mandated a new basic skills assessment program for mathematics, reading, and writing at grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. This document is one in a series of Instructional Strategies Guides…

This mathematics support guide is intended for use by vocational students and instructors as a review of essential mathematics concepts and for problem-solving exercises in the vocations. It is designed to accompany the "Mathematical Skills Inventory," which tests mathematics skills, attitudes, and background. A section entitled Arithmetic Skills…

New directions for higher education are discussed in 13 essays based on a 1983 conference on academic renewal. Six topics are covered: the challenge of renewal, organizational strategies for renewal, environmental contexts for renewal, curriculum developments, faculty renewal, and academic leadership. Titles and authors include: "Observations…

This study addresses four questions: (1) What types of performance appraisal policy for educational staff have been adopted by Ontario school boards? (2) To what extent have these policies been implemented in practice? (3) What types of appraisal policies are most effective? and (4) What processes have school boards used to develop and implement…

This report, the fourth and final volume of a series, examines in a summary fashion the results from a massive study of performance appraisal policies and procedures currently used in Ontario school boards. The study, a two-year undertaking, focused on appraisal practices for certified educational personnel in Ontario: teachers, principals,…

School effectiveness indices (SEIs), based on regressing test performance onto earlier test performance and a socioeconomic status measure, were obtained for eight subject-grade combinations from 485 South Carolina elementary schools. The analysis involved school means based on longitudinally matched student data. Reading and mathematics…

A study of students' and teachers' attitudes toward cheating in the classroom of English as a second language (ESL) compared responses of five groups to a questionnaire concerning the use of crib notes, copying from another student's test, and allowing or refusing to allow another student to copy in hypothetical test situations. The comparison…

The current use of part-time faculty and issues regarding this practice are addressed. Attention is directed to the demographic and employment characteristics of part-time faculty, the policies and practices that colleges follow for part-time employment, and legal and other constraints influencing the way they are used. Some institutional efforts…

The purpose of this curriculum guide is to assist Training Specialists in teaching Adult Basic Education/General Educational Development (ABE/GED) students basic skills in language arts and mathematics. The guide begins with an introduction (purpose, overview, adult learner characteristics, teacher type), curriculum policies, curriculum structure,…

Teaching literature as a basis for teaching writing affords a paradigm for teaching structure and meaning. While a truly integrated English department would put equal emphasis upon composition, language, literature, and reading, two-year college curricula have emphasized composition and challenged literature's place. A reader-based model for…

The collection of 18 essays is intended to provide the educator with an understanding of specific aspects of social studies instruction and education in general. The essays include: "Objectives and Learning Experiences in the Social Studies"; "Studying Trends in Society"; "Social Studies: Process versus "Studying Trends in Society"; "Social…