The impact of academic programs--such as developmental mathematics programs--on student retention, has been a controversial topic for administrators, policy makers, and faculty in higher education. Despite deep interest in the effectiveness of these programs in retaining students, scholars have been unable to determine whether such programs have a…

This study investigated whether or not an increase in secondary science teacher knowledge about evolution and the nature of science gained from completing a graduate-level evolution course was associated with greater preference for the teaching of evolution in schools. Forty-four precertified secondary biology teachers participated in a 14-week…

While anecdotal reports have strongly supported restorative practices, there is a need to expand the evidence base through empirical studies of the efficacy of these interventions. This article highlights such emerging findings reported by Paul McCold of the Institute for Restorative Practices in collaboration with researchers from Temple…

Online systems have come to be heavily used in education, particularly for online learning and collecting information not otherwise readily available. Most e-learning systems, including interactive learning systems, have been designed to "push" course materials to students but rarely to "collect" or "pull" ideas from them. The interactive…

"Quality Counts 2007" begins to track state efforts to create seamless education systems from early childhood to the world of work. This special issue of "Education Week" includes the following articles: (1) Improving Children's Chances (Lynn Olson); (2) Spanning a Lifetime (Christopher B. Swanson); (3) Breaking the Cycle of Poverty (Lynn Olson);…

Indicators for measuring and comparing entrepreneurship in different regions are important tools for understanding economic and social development and formulating strategies to bring improvements to less developed areas. The existing indicators are not adequate for this purpose because they do not link the economic and social factors that…

This paper reports on a commissioned research project to evaluate the impact of support (mainly funding) given by the UK Government's National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) to various projects under the general heading of "science learning" over a four-year period (2000-2004). Findings emerging from the study…

This report contains a summary of a survey of violence prevention programs and a conference on the state of the art in evaluating such programs, as well as conclusions and recommendations. The survey of 51 violence prevention programs focused on evaluation activities. Analysis of the data indicated: frequently the goals have not been used to…

This paper presents the results of a survey of 51 violence prevention programs around the country, including detailed case studies of a select sample, reviews of the evaluations of these programs, and recommendations for next steps to be explored during the conference. Part I discusses the survey of violence prevention programs. It describes a…

The advertising program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) has at least 12 measures of program assessment, which serve as a basis for discussion rather than as a prescription for an effective assessment program. The program assessment methods are accrediting, internal program review, teaching evaluations, a university survey of…

This document describes the 25 exemplary programs serving young children and their families in West Virginia. The programs were participating in the final stages of a process for state recognition as an exemplary program by the Early Education Quality Improvement Project Committee of the Governor's Early Childhood Implementation Commission in West…

The Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) is a program for Minnesota families with children from birth to the age of kindergarten enrollment. This booklet provides answers to common questions asked by individuals interested in the ECFE. The booklet's first section, "What Is Early Childhood Family Education," describes the model, while…

These two manuals are designed to aid prospective providers of workplace literacy programs in program organization and implementation. The administrator's manual addresses the following topics: program philosophy, history, potential clients, advertising, guidelines for client meetings, instructor recruitment and training, client goals, learning…

Recent state efforts reflect a growing commitment to building state child care systems, but increasing child care capacity while simultaneously designing and expanding good quality, new child care systems remains a challenge. On November 17, 1997, the Child Care Action Campaign (CCAC) conducted an audioconference that focused on how Wisconsin,…

Head Start is a national program that provides comprehensive developmental services for preschool children (ages 3 to 5) from low-income families and social services for their families. Approximately 1,400 community-based nonprofit organizations and school systems develop programs to meet specific needs. Head Start began in 1965 in the Office of…