The aim of this article is to present a systematic, holistic evaluation of the South African education system, using international benchmarks as the yardstick. A theoretical model for the evaluation of a national education project is constructed. This consists of three dimensions, namely: a quantitative dimension, a qualitative dimension, and an…

We are delighted to welcome you to the International Conference on Education and New Developments 2015-END 2015, taking place in Porto, Portugal, from 27 to 29 of June. Education, in our contemporary world, is a right since we are born. Every experience has a formative effect on the constitution of the human being, in the way one thinks, feels and…

Ongoing professional development is at the core of Project Reading Excellence at "Boggsville" Elementary School (a pseudonym) and is intricately woven throughout all related activities. This professional development program is built on the pillars of sound scientific-based reading research, best teaching practices, and appropriate…

The National Educational Longitudinal Study database was used to examine the educational development of students of low socioeconomic status (SES). A path analysis was conducted to determine the effects of student background, psychological, and behavioral variables on postsecondary educational attainment of low-SES students. The results show that…

Clarifies the efficacy of targeting the area of vocabulary as a means of increasing reading level. Concludes that the acquisition of new vocabulary words is related to reading proficiency. Offers five guidelines for teachers regarding direct vocabulary instruction. (SR)

A study compared students' cognitive word knowledge of the cognates of "think" and "know" within a theoretical framework focused on hierarchical levels of meaning. Subjects were 31 fifth, 32 seventh, and 21 tenth graders attending single-gender private schools in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and 70 college…

The research on literacy is ready for a better balancing of the theoretical with the problem oriented, particularly for those children, young people, and adults who are having difficulty with literacy: the poor, minorities, dyslexics, bilinguals, and high school and college students who are poorly prepared by their earlier experience. (CMG)

Noting the positive relationships between reading skills and academic performance, a study investigated the relationship between the reading skills of 172 freshmen in developmental reading courses and the number of college preparatory courses completed in high school. It was hypothesized that there would be a significantly positive relationship…

Noting the inadequate vocabularies of students in her college writing classes, the author calls for a revival of close textual reading at all educational levels as a means of improving reading and vocabulary skills. (PGD)

Two experiments using varying duration exposures related reading skill in adults to initial encoding of location information. Results suggest that the role of perception in reading has been underestimated because emphasis has been on item perception, not perception of spatial location. (Author/CP)

A STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT BISHOP COLLEGE, DALLAS, TEXAS, TO EXAMINE THE READING NEEDS OF PROSPECTIVE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS. SCORES ON THE NELSON DENNY READING TESTS, ADVANCED FORM A, ON THE OTIS QUICK SCORING TESTS OF MENTAL ABILITY, GAMMA FORM BM, AND GRADE POINT AVERAGES COVERING 4 YEARS OF COLLEGE WORK WERE ANALYZED FOR 29 NEGRO ELEMENTARY STUDENT…

This book includes 22 papers in three parts. After (1) "Teacher Inquiry: A Defining Feature of Professional Practice" (Anthony Clarke and Gaalen Erickson), Part 1, "Enacting Teacher Research in Practice Settings," includes (2) "Writing Matters: Exploring the Relationship between Writing Instruction and Assessment"…

This study was designed to investigate the construction of a new measure for assessing reading performance which would prove to be a more sensitive and useful instrument for measuring the achievement growth induced by reading programs than the usual standardized tests. This report outlines the procedures followed in generating the model and…

Explores the nature and evolution of professional learning conversations that emerge when teachers in master's classes are involved in rubric-focused coaching with peers. Finds that teachers' self-developed strategy rubrics on strategy lessons initiated focus learning conversations about instruction, increased their trust of professional…

Five years ago the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) launched a revolution in our education system by insisting that all students should be proficient in reading and math by 2014 and demanding comprehensive reforms to reach this national goal, including strong assessment and accountability systems, a highly qualified teacher in every classroom, more…