More than a third of all undergraduate students are 25 or older, and their presence on college and university campuses is growing. However, institutions of higher learning are struggling to meet the needs of, and improve persistence and completion rates for, this significant student population. "Increasing Adult Learner Persistence and…

Annually, ACT provides a snapshot of the college and career readiness of ACT-tested high school graduates. This report is offered as a service to inform policymakers and practitioners about selected indicators of effectiveness and how that translates into readiness. It is designed to stimulate discussion, inquiry, and action. This report for the…

The conference paper examines West Virginia's process-product model used to develop educational programs for exceptional students (behavior disordered learners and intellectually gifted learners). The background of the program is discussed, and requirements of the state's master plan are outlined. Noted are findings and recommendations of task…

There are three primary driving forces in West Virginia for responding to problems and for directing efforts concerning technology in education: (1) the "Master Plan for Public Education," calling for universal computer literacy, provides a framework for addressing within the educational system the issues, goals, and needs of an emerging…

Annually, ACT provides a snapshot of the college and career readiness of ACT-tested high school graduates. This report is offered as a service to inform policymakers and practitioners about selected indicators of effectiveness and how that translates into readiness. It is designed to stimulate discussion, inquiry, and action. This report is…

This 3-year project aimed to improve delivery of support and instructional services among 33 West Virginia county school districts in implementing special education mandates. The participating school districts are within the service area of West Virginia University. The introduction details each year's objectives. "Year one" pursued…

To motivate teachers toward quality performance, administrators must follow effective organizational practices and methods for professional development. This report describes how Hampshire County, West Virginia, schools implement ideas that increase productivity. Among ideas used were those of James Lewis, Jr., whose book, Excellent Organizations,…

Music educators elected to offices in the state organization in charge of the West Virginia student chapters of the Music Educators National Conference describe their organization's objectives and strategies. (RM)

An outline and worksheets are provided for developing school design specifications that will meet the educational needs of students. The outline lists and briefly describes the key elements required of an educational specifications report, including a brief description of the community, the curriculum and support plans, building space…

Offered as a guide for curriculum development efforts at the local level, this document outlines instructional goals and objectives for the West Virginia music education program. Instructional goals are given for early childhood education (grades K-4), middle childhood education (grades 5-8) and adolescent education (grades 9-12). The goals focus…

To show communications as a total system, West Virginia University's Technology Education Program developed a course called Career Exploration in Technology (CEIT) through an agreement with the Mason County (West Virginia) Public School System. Two graduate students describe their CEIT program, now a required ninth-grade course at Wahama High…

Discussions centered on circumstances faced by laid-off workers in Portsmouth, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Upper Cumberland, Tennessee, and Gary, West Virginia. These diverse Appalachian communities are prototypes of the extent of local distress imposed by the impersonal workings of the market and the absence of precedents for dealing with…

This document consists of assorted supplementary materials for a conference session on the topic of "Improving Education in America through Staff Development and Learning Technology." It contains (1) a preface; (2) a list of assumptions central to West Virginia's educational reform model; (3) a statement of the session's basic purpose,…

This dissertation is a qualitative study that explores how three teams of humanities teachers at Capital High School (Charleston, West Virginia) tried to create and sustain an environment in which they could make decisions over curriculum, pedagogy, and school self-governance. The study also examines what empowerment means to the teachers in a…

This list of competencies and learner outcomes is the product of a 2-day meeting held to develop competencies for a new consumer and homemaking course for 9th and 10th grade students. Included in the list are competencies pertaining to the following program areas: responsibility and self-image, coping with today, family living and parenthood…