The intent of this brief paper is two-fold: (1) to review selected past studies and discuss what is believed to be misdirections in their focus and inadequate methodology and (2) to report a series of studies that attempt to counter these shortcomings. It is held that, by focusing on discrete components, such as curriculum, and using limiting…

This 100-page manual serves as a technical reference for the "Healthy Water, Healthy People Water Quality Educators Guide" and the "Healthy Water Healthy People Testing Kits". Yielding in-depth information about ten water quality parameters, it answers questions about water quality testing using technical overviews, data interpretation guidelines,…

Discussion of spatial skills focuses on a quasi-experimental field study that was designed to test the possibility that elementary and secondary school library users' success in stack searches could be related to a particular spatial skill, i.e., the ability to solve large-scale mental-rotation and perspective-taking problems. (13 references) (LRW)

Inverness Research studied the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) Seminars on Science program for eight years, from its inception in 1998 to 2006. This paper presents teacher survey ratings for "In the Field with Spiders," along with the profile of a teacher who took the course. Course takers report on the annual follow-up surveys…

This edited collection addresses the growing need for ideas and methods conducive to holistic educational practices and aims to encourage more personal growth in students too often distracted by the background noise of war, violence, racism, and environmental deterioration. The contributors are working teachers and professors who have integrated a…

General education is basic education and, in theory, is the general education that every citizen must undergo as well as the basic education that every type of specialization must have. It is undoubtedly fundamental and important to the entire educational system. However, specialized education is more directly related to, and plays a more…

This article addresses the challenges that Garnett suggests face higher education through the lens of Bourdieu. In taking up the challenge set by Garnett for higher education in the knowledge economy and responding to its powerful and primary artefact--intellectual capital--the article reviews and uses the analytical tool of Bourdieu's practice in…

The project PARK-IT! represents a unique partnership between a public elementary school and a city park in which students and teachers utilize a small naturalized area of the park as a Land Laboratory, and in return become its stewards. The project also includes this curriculum activity guide which can assist teachers in using the Land Lab with…

The partial credit model of G. N. Masters (1982), a one-parameter unidimensional polychotomous Rasch model, was used to reduce the error of measurement, particularly for students near the cut score, and to permit measurement to reflect the actual ability of a student more accurately by reducing the degree of misfit for students near the cut…

If awareness and understanding of Canada, its people, and its culture are to be achieved, the study of this country must be made an appropriate part of the social studies and humanities curricula. This document provides teachers with resource materials on 13 topics about Canada: (1) topics and themes for Canadian Studies; (2) reasons why U.S.…

This research, conducted for California State Department of Education, is one component of a feasibility study focusing on ways to make the testing process more efficient by application of multi-purpose tests (MPT). MPT are designed, administered and scored to serve more than one purpose and to consolidate and unify testing programs as a partial…

To obtain quantifiable employment information and identify training weaknesses of former vocational technical students, a comprehensive follow-up questionnaire was developed and validated. The new questionnaire, after review and revision, was field tested, using twenty-five randomly selected former students (placed in occupations related to their…

A study was conducted to develop a prototype audio digest to deliver in cassette tape format information concerning career education program design, basic concepts, and faculty training. The project focused on the following goals: increase the amount of career education information in an easily assimilated, high impact format; establish a delivery…

The philosophy of the District of Columbia Public School System is that evaluation should help to determine what was intended, what was done, and what was the result. It should contribute to improvement and should involve students, staff, and parents. Two essential components of the District's evaluation system are the data bank and field studies.…

The 74th Illinois General Assembly created the Illinois Commission on Automation and Technological Progress to study and analyze the economic and social effects of automation and other technological changes on industry, commerce, agriculture, education, manpower, and society in Illinois. Commission members visited industrial plants and business…