Describes the use of portfolios in teacher education programs and the development and evolution of a portfolio assignment in a course on multicultural issues in special education. Qualitative data that describe students' (n=156) learning is presented, and implications for future practice and research is provided. (Author/CR)

Discusses integrating mathematics/science with measurement for grades 6-12. Provides Web addresses for companies manufacturing data grabbers (instruments for gathering data in electronic form for graphing and analysis by graphing calculators and computers) and for sites offering instructional materials. Describes projects in architecture,…

This article describes how Cahokia middle and high school students conduct inquiry-based science through a pitfall trap experiment. In a collaborative effort, students designed and conducted pitfall trap investigations that combined their interest in the natural world with their love of technology. The students set up their own experiments to…

Words Work! is an approach to improving literacy outcomes for children through teacher development and parent engagement. In this article the authors describe the pilot phase of the project. The staff at Words Work! created an assessment system that aligns curriculum with assessment and collection of student data and teacher planning. Teachers use…

Educators who thoroughly investigate data, raise questions, examine student learning, test their hypotheses, and then share their findings are mirroring effective math and science instruction. Using collaborative inquiry, data teams can help improve teacher knowledge and help teachers change their practice in ways that will enhance student…

By 2025, 22 percent of the U.S. college-age population will be Latino, a level already reached in four states: California, Florida, New York, and Texas. Meeting the country's future human capital and workforce needs make it imperative to improve outcomes for Latino students today. As public attention is focused on current achievement gaps,…

This article explores the following questions: first, "Do colleges of higher vocational education vary in the mean success of their graduates on the labor market?" and, second, "Are the differences between these colleges stable over time?". The analysis drew upon school effectiveness, quality assurance and labor market…

The progress of a novice ethnographic researcher is traced from problems associated with a pilot study through the production of a final draft of her dissertation--an observational case study. Focus is on the data analysis process, the development of conceptual maps leading to an emergent grounded theory, and writing the dissertation. Research…

National- and state-level reports on education indicators have been produced since the mid-1980s. However, the debate continues over which education indicators to select and report. This paper outlines the lessons gained by a national organization in building an education indicators system through cooperation with state education agencies and…

This annual report describes five projects of the Oregon Alliance for Program Improvement, which provides work-relevant education and training services in leadership, professional competence, and organizational effectiveness. First is an aggregated report of nearly 30 vocational education program improvement field study projects conducted between…

Student satisfaction surveys assess satisfaction with various facets of the university and includes key sets of questions on programs and services, university learning and social environment, university mission and values, educational preparation, transfer intent, general satisfaction, attitudes toward coursework, and student demographic…

The first of two papers compares two models (the market based model and the prevalence model) for analyzing data from annual state surveys to determine future special education personnel needs and discusses critical issues in data collection. These data are required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which asks states to project…

This edition is the 23rd report in a series begun in 1964. It includes projections for enrollment, graduates, classroom teachers, and expenditures to the year 2004. Projections reflect the 1990 Census, with the incorporation of 1992 estimates and assumptions for fertility rate, net immigration, and mortality rate. The report also contains a…

In 1988, in preparation for its 10-year reaccreditation, Howard Community College (HCC), in Maryland, undertook a comprehensive examination of its long-range planning process and formulated a number of strategic priorities. As part of HCC's customer service priority, two survey instruments, Quality Evaluation of Service Trends (QUEST) and the…

Selected program evaluations through the GENeric Evaluation SYStem (GENESYS) of the Austin (Texas) Independent School District are reviewed. GENESYS, implemented in 1988-89, consists basically of a database methodology assessing the school system's longitudinal databases and a set of computer programs using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) to…