The field of education is undergoing fundamental change with the growing use of data. Fine-scale data collection at the item-response level is now possible. Xerox has developed a system that bridges the paper-to-digital divide by providing the well-established and easy-to-use paper interface to students, but digitizes the responses for scoring,…

Research into human decision making (DM) processes from outside of education paint a different picture of DM than current DM models in education. This pilot study assesses the use of critical decision method (CDM)--developed from observations of firefighters' DM -- in the context of primary mathematics teachers' in-class DM. Preliminary results…

This paper reports on early findings from a pilot study into student retention beyond Year 10. Located in rural, regional and disadvantaged communities in Tasmania, the research has implications at State, national and international levels. It is being funded by a nationally competitive Australian Research Council Linkage grant and the Tasmanian…

Students' thinking is an integral part of English language pedagogy. Teachers need the pedagogical competence to teach thinking effectively. This research suggests a program to develop the teaching skills for thinking of pre-service teachers (fourth-year college students) in the English Department of the Faculty of Education at Princess Noura…

This paper first examines different conceptions of collaborative research. It then reviews problems and benefits in collaborative research as perceived by teams of researchers and teacher center/teacher personnel in 14 projects funded by the Teachers' Center Exchange at the Far West Laboratory. Criteria for effective collaborative research are…

The School Crime and Misbehavior Project, conducted under the auspices of the National Alliance for Safe schools and the National Institute of Justice, was aimed at providing school districts with a system to reduce crime and the fear of crime in the schools. The Duval County (Florida) Public Schools implemented the 2-year program as a pilot…

A pilot study to investigate the use of concept mapping for assessment purposes was conducted during the spring of 1996. Thirteen teachers from a random sample of science teachers affiliated with the Iowa-Scope, Sequence, and Coordination Project and 12 other teachers affiliated with the project participated in the concept mapping study. Student…

The process of adapting the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) for Puerto Rico was begun with the following objectives: (1) to review the existing Spanish translation of the WISC-R; (2) to adapt the WISC-R to Puerto Rican culture and milieu; and (3) to standardize the scale with a representative sample of Puerto Rican…

This paper reports the results from an investigation of a method for systematic development of a procedure for assessing the administrator and instructional leader roles in implementation of an innovative school program. The purpose of the study was to design and field-test a feasible and useful approach to examining the degree of…

This symposium report summarizes three studies from the Houston Parent-Child Development Center dealing with aspects of a Parent Involvement Program for low-income Mexican-American families. The studies reviewed are: (1) First Results of a Longitudinal Parent Education Program, (2) Prediction of Success in a Parent Education Program, (3)…

Many universities currently encourage the use of online materials to enhance on-campus courses. Assessment of the impact of these technology-enhanced course initiatives is necessary to give insight into the best practices--those that faculty should be encouraged to use based on student need. Assessment studies of this type will enrich the…

Project "Freestyle" involved the development of prototypical television and print materials intended to combat sex-role stereotyping in career-related attitudes of nine to twelve-year-old children. In the first 16 months of the project an assessment was made of the reactions to three pilot shows among students, teachers, administrators,…

This paper reviews and critiques empirical evidence concerning knowledge gaps and misconceptions among secondary school students, parents/guardians, and educators about postsecondary education and student financial assistance opportunities and prerequisites, in particular, how Michigan's middle school based Project Awareness may affect student…