Contends that college and university faculty must strengthen the ties between teachers in precollegiate and postsecondary institutions. Describes the Marathon County (Wisconsin) History Teaching Alliance, a collaborative professional development program that aims to enhance student learning through improved history instruction. Addresses the roles…

Examines the effectiveness of recognition and reward programs in holding schools accountable for the academic performance, various ways of measuring student academic performance, and the effects of incentive systems on teacher morale. Issues related to evaluating recognition and reward programs and questions related to how incentive programs can…

Details the specific steps used in the National Coalition's study-team approach in identifying and solving learning problems. The article describes the study-team process used in the Spring Independent School District in Houston (Texas), provides examples of its activities, and evaluates its performance. Lessons learned from the experience are…

Describes a seventh and eighth grade social studies unit on the Civil War that incorporates language arts. The unit addresses the four levels of perspective development. Aims to provide students with a better understanding of the Civil War and develop students' personal perspectives. (CMK)

We present the design principles for a new kind of computer system that helps students learn algebra. The fundamental idea is to have a system based on the microworld paradigm that allows students to make their own calculations, as they do with paper and pencil, without being obliged to use commands, and to verify the correctness of these…

The authors outline how the University College (UC) model can serve as an effective vehicle for others.

In this article, the author draws attention to the fact that in school evaluations, students will improve on state-mandated tests, but the improved scores will not influence a school's adequate yearly progress (AYP) status because those students' scores do not cross the proficiency point. A state's proficiency point on each of its standardized…

The use of videotape technology is an effective pedagogical tool with which to improve the overall performance of students enrolled in sections of basic public speaking. These uses and benefits in the classroom include: (1) practice feedback; (2) identification of style inhibitors; (3) analysis of structural-content issues; (4) suggestions for…

This report describes and evaluates Project SAIL, a collaborative project of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and the New York City Board of Education. It is an ungraded primary unit for children from ages five through eight located at Public School 41, District 23 in Brooklyn. The project stresses school-based planning and shared…

The variety of current University of Arizona (UA) faculty and administrative activities that can be thought of as assessment in the broadest sense of the term are reviewed, and the involvement of the Center for Research on Undergraduate Education is noted. UA is involved in assessing both programs and students in many areas in order to improve…

This paper describes the Success for All Program and items that need be considered when the program is implemented in elementary schools. The program includes one-to-one tutoring; frequent assessment; a family support team; innovative curriculum approaches in reading, writing, and language arts; and other interventions. Discussion expands on…

This book on competency-based instruction (CBI) is organized around three topics: (1) teachers deciding what their students should learn; (2) teachers teaching it well; and (3) teachers checking to see if students have learned it. Chapter 1, "A Matter of Accomplishment," gives an overview of competency-based instruction. Chapter 2, "Worthwhile…

A 3-year project at Dominican College of San Rafael (California) supported by a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), is summarized. The project developed comprehensive integrated student development plan with four perspectives: (skills, stages, tasks, and styles) designed as a cornerstone of all academic and…

Science education specialists from Asian and Pacific countries convened to explore issues related to the evaluation of pupil science learning. This document contains a synthesis of the discussions and findings of the meeting. Summaries of the study group's deliberations are provided in four sections. Chapter 1 describes the participating…

Employing a question/answer format, this 13-section report presents descriptive and evaluative information about Amarillo College's ACcess Center, which provides developmental courses, tutoring, and support services to the academically underprepared. The first sections identify ACcess advisees as students scoring below the 9th grade level on any…