How to ensure the quality of online learning in institutions of higher education has been a growing concern during the past several years. While several studies have focused on the perceptions of faculty and administrators, there has been a paucity of research conducted on students? perceptions toward the quality of online education. This study…

Examines the reasons why one-third of the teachers in a large urban school district rated the quality of their school highly but did not want their own children to attend the school where they taught. Finds the following explanations: (1) overall school quality; (2) disciplinary consistency; and (3) racial attitudes. Discusses policy implications.…

The "2010 State Preschool Yearbook" is the eighth in a series of annual reports profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States. This latest Yearbook presents data on state-funded prekindergarten during the 2009-2010 school year. The first report in this series focused on programs for the 2001-2002 school year and…

The debate about possible tradeoffs between quantity and quality in schools has been confused by using available data as a basis for conceptual definitions. Under certain conditions expansion of enrollment or class sizes will have either no influence or a positive influence on the the quality of learning. The conventional wisdom about tradeoffs…

Responding to enormous enrollment increases, Mexican universities were forced to hire faculty without a Licenciatura degree (corresponds to a United States bachelors degree) and so initiated faculty development activities (FDA) to enhance the performance of underqualified and new teachers. This study assessed the impact of one of these FDAs at the…

Twenty 4-year-olds were observed during free play at excellent, moderate, and poor quality day care centers. The children were observed again at eight years as they participated in triadic play sessions. Parental, peer, and self-ratings were also obtained. Significant continuity between the children's day care experiences and their functioning at…

This paper examines the recent growth and changes in the discipline of mathematics, as well as current trends in the research on the teaching and learning of mathematics. The focus of this paper is revolution, reform, and research and their effects on school mathematics. The first section deals with revolution with regard to the teaching of…

To assess the relative effectiveness of public and private school environments, researchers must distinguish between the effects of the schools' programs and the students' innate abilities. Student background variables do not appear to account for all the important differences among students attending public and private schools. This document…

Written for local, State, and Federal vocational educators, this publication discusses the feasibility of implementing recommendations from some recent evaluations of educational excellence. Criteria for estimating the appropriateness of evaluation findings are given, and recommendations are offered for creating an infrastructure among local,…

This book examines educational improvement in Great Britain in recent years. It addresses three concerns: (1) develop better estimates of the extent to which schools have changed in their effectiveness over time; (2) understand the factors and strategies associated with changes in performance across schools; and (3) explore the school-improvement…

Summarizes the findings of a two-year study in Bahia (Brazil) designed to provide insight into the failure of the schooling system in Brazil to meet the educational needs of the population. Gives information from the literature review, reports on the survey results, and discusses a case study of four schools. (KO)

Analysis of responses to a new scale evaluating parent perceptions of inclusive educational placements for students with significant cognitive disabilities found that parents (N=460) of children currently in special day classrooms were positive regarding possible social benefits of inclusion but apprehensive regarding the quality of educational…

This paper addresses two questions relevant to practices and policies in early childhood education (ECE). The first question addressed is, Given the worldwide focus on ECE, what are the priorities in practice-oriented research in school life? Educators struggle with the issue of whether research makes much difference to practice. It is suggested…

Through a number of measures, both quantitative and qualitative, this progress report explores the achievements of Southeastern public schools in meeting the continually expanding goal of quality education for all citizens. Quantitative figures are shown, regionally and state by state, for ages of compulsory attendance, public and private school…

The article demonstrates how single-subject research methodology can be used to demonstrate educational validity of programs for severely disabled learners through the incorporation of the criteria of internal validity, educational integrity, and empirical and social validity. (CB)