Discusses the importance of databases and information systems in efforts to examine the interinstitutional transfer of credits, courses, curricula, and students. Highlights the achievements of selected states and institutions in developing systems to monitor student flow and academic performance and to evaluate and enhance transfer/articulation…

Describes a study conducted at Collin County Community College to assess the writing performance of different student populations. Offers observations about writing assessment for external validity. Suggests simple procedures for quantifying writing competency. Includes a proposal for portfolio assessment. (DMM)

This study evaluated the Consent Screening Interview, which assesses the ability of adults with developmental disabilities to give direct consent for community residential placement. Interviews conducted with 17 adults with mental retardation and a control group of 8 individuals indicated that the instrument differentiated between those subjects…

Describes the growth of the African-American population of Norfolk, Virginia, after the Civil War and the development of a raciallysegregated school system. Discusses measures that helped and hindered black educational progress. Argues that the Civil War ended slavery but did not guarantee progress through educational opportunity. (CFR)

This paper asserts that interactive exhibits are more than just hands-on activities but utilize a range of techniques. The variety of techniques is explained with examples of various types of exhibits to involve the visitor in learning more about the exhibit. The paper presents several examples that strike a balance between educating in history…

The Bean and Metzner Nontraditional Undergraduate Student Attrition Model appeared to be a good model to address community college student attrition because it takes into account the environmental variables that colleges must consider to enhance persistence. A study was conducted to determine how well the Bean and Metzner Model fit with community…

This document describes 18 drug use prevention progams in metropolitan urban school districts in the following seven western states: (1) California; (2) Hawaii; (3) Idaho; (4) Montana; (5) Nevada; (6) Oregon; and (7) Washington. Each description outlines the level of commitment of each urban district, abilities within each program to collaborate…

This theme issue of "Educational Foundations" contains five articles that utilize an array of foundational perspectives that give reader insight into the organization of schools, the viewpoints of children and parents, the ideological and political nature of community organizing, and mathematics instruction in the Soviet Union. In…

As part of an effort to develop strategies for measuring institutional effectiveness, a study was conducted at West Virginia University at Parkersburg (WVU-P), a two-year institution with an enrollment of nearly 4,000 students, to determine the most appropriate instrument for measuring gains in general education between incoming freshman (i.e.,…

This first volume of a six-volume study details the historical context of a particular school district (code-named "Milford") in order to examine the genesis and evolution of American education. The study's key research documents were the district school board's official minutes; additional modes of inquiry included participant…

This second volume of a six-volume study updates and concludes the description of the historical development of a school district code-named "Milford," presented in volume I. Board minutes remain the primary source of data with increasing amounts of information from public documents, interviews, and observation of meetings. Following a brief…

Designed to promote institutional research to evaluate matriculation in California community colleges, this document outlines the methodology, anticipated results, and discussion points for nine model research projects. The research projects are designed to assess the effects of matriculation on student performance; on access to education,…

Designed as a reference tool for administrators and policymakers, this handbook provides data on the entire North Carolina Community College System (NCCS). The five sections of this edition contain an introduction, program briefs, finance/facilities/equipment data, student data, and staff/faculty data. Section I covers the purpose, history,…

A sample of seven colleges was chosen for a study on the research activities of community college faculties in Ontario. Faculty (N=394 out of a possible 865) were asked to indicate how often they participated in 22 different research activities and how characteristic these activities were of their role as community college faculty. The primary…

A study was conducted to determine the extent to which women and minorities were employed as administrators and faculty members at two-year colleges. State directors of two-year colleges and individual institutions provided data representing 770 public two-year colleges in 48 states. Study findings included the following: (1) the percentage of…