First published in 1980 "The Door Stood Open" deals with an early demand upon open university policy. It deals with important themes like context of the younger students pilot scheme; demand for open university places among the younger age group; motivational factors and potential study problems; the impact of open university study on…

In 2008, the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation created the Saint Paul Early Childhood Scholarship Program, a pilot program to provide families with scholarships to cover the cost of high-quality early childhood education (ECE) programs. Although there is a large body of research about the benefits of preschool specifically and early learning…

Researchers have raised a number of questions about whether student achievement data can be used fairly or accurately for purposes of teacher evaluation. Others have noted that achievement data alone cannot provide teachers with the information they need to improve their practice. Recognizing these limitations, the federal government and many…

Tennessee is one of 15 states participating in a pilot program to explore new ways to measure school performance under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Under NCLB, states are held accountable for ensuring that sufficient numbers of schools' students are meeting state proficiency standards and improving schools that fail to measure up. In…

Rising remediation rates among college students are leading to increased time for completion of degree, additional costs for students and colleges, and financial aid being used on courses that do not count towards a degree. In response to these issues, in 2007 the state of Illinois passed the College and Career Readiness Act, Public Act 095-0694,…

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 requires states to monitor student and school performance based on "adequate yearly progress" (AYP), which essentially is a count of the number of students meeting a specified target. States, many of which have a growing number of schools and school districts entering NCLB's "needs…

This report examines a Massachusetts pilot program for quarterly benchmark exams in middle-school mathematics, finding that program schools do not show greater gains in student achievement after a year. But that finding might reflect limited data rather than ineffective benchmark assessments. Benchmark assessments are used in many districts…

An independent Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) report of the deacidification program underway at the Library of Congress, this report was undertaken at the request of the House Appropriations Committee. Because of the particular concerns of engineering and safety which have been raised regarding this program, this report focuses on its…

This report summarizes an Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) report on the deacidification program underway at the Library of Congress. Because of the particular concerns of engineering and safety that have been raised in connection with this program, this report focuses on its effectiveness and safety, and compares the current program to other…

This project was conducted April-May 1985 and involved 62 public service librarians. The evaluation goals were to involve the staff during the implementation of this new technology and to collect data on these objectives: to measure satisfaction with training, documentation, equipment, printing, and system reliability; to identify materials to be…

The purpose of the Year-Round Education (YRE) Evaluation Project is to provide formative evaluation information to Orange County (Florida) Public Schools decision-makers about the year-round education schedule piloted in three elementary schools. Employing YRE means reorganizing the traditional school calendar into shorter instructional sessions…

This background paper analyzes technologies for tomorrow's information superhighways. Advanced networks will first be used to support scientists in their work, but will soon be deployed more widely in business, entertainment, health care, and education. Significant progress has been made toward the development of gigabit network technology since…

This summary report provides a brief description of the development of a distance learning curriculum package by the School of Librarianship and Information Studies at Newcastle upon Tyne Polytechnic, which was designed to teach the skills of presenting, analyzing, and evaluating statistical information to middle-management-level librarians and…

Describes a pilot project in automated storage and retrieval of library materials which uses miniload cranes to retrieve bins of materials, and an interface with an online catalog that patrons use to request materials. Savings in space and money and potential problems with the system are discussed. (CLB)

In a pilot test, superintendents participated in self-assessment activities in the American Association of School Administrator's Executive Development Center program. Activity stages centered on professional attitudes and skills, personal health, and fitness. Data provided a profile for professional development. Participants felt activities were…