In 2000, the National Education Goals Panel examined the conditions that help ensure school success, conducting a series of four field hearings nationwide to find evidence of success and to understand why schools were succeeding. Participants at the hearings included students, teachers, parents, principals, superintendents, university presidents,…

Recognizing that cross-national information and analysis can contribute to the improvement of policy development related to quality early childhood education and care (ECEC), the Education Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) launched the Thematic Review of Early Childhood Education and Care Policy in 1998.…

The Preschool Version of the High/Scope Program Quality Assessment (PQA) is a ratings instrument for evaluating the quality of early childhood programs and identifying staff training needs. The assessment was developed for use in all center-based preschool and child care settings, not just those using the High/Scope educational approach. This…

This collection of papers presents the current state of research on effective instructional programs for Hispanic American students. The 10 chapters are: (1) "Effective Programs for Latino Students in Elementary and Middle Schools" (Olatokunbo S. Fashola, Robert E. Slavin, Margarita Calderon, and Richard Duran); (2) "Effective…

The Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA), a national resource for policy and practice development in post-16 education and training, responds to a government White Paper on higher education's (HE's) future. LSDA believes that policy development across further education (FE) and HE sectors should be coordinated and that the government has…

In 2001, the Pennsylvania Department of Education contracted with Western Michigan University to evaluate Pennsylvania's charter schools and charter school initiative over two years. The study used site visits, work sample review, document review, focus groups, portfolios and surveys to gather data regarding the movement's effectiveness, progress,…

This document is intended to guide further education colleges and work-based learning providers through some of the commonly used tools, techniques, and theories of quality management. The following are among the topics discussed: (1) various ways of defining quality; methods used by organizations to achieve quality (quality control, quality…

This document is intended to help local adult education programs evaluate their programs to assess their capability of designing and delivering a specific workplace education program requested by an employer. The guide begins with an introductory section that discusses the following topics: differences between workplace programs and typical…

Noting that few studies have examined the relationship between quality of early childhood education (ECE) programs in India and the impact of such programs on young children's learning competencies, this study explored the relationship between various components of programs in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and other family and…

This book presents a preschool framework that integrates literacy activities into content area lessons while embedding instruction within adult-child social interactions and realistic, playful activities tailored to each child's individual needs. Chapter 1 of the book delineates the theory and rationale behind the framework, and outlines essential…

As a result of lengthy deliberations and review of evidence-based proven practices by the Leadership in Action Program in Maryland, this action agenda details 6 goals, 25 strategies, and 106 action steps determined as most critical to ensuring that all of Maryland's children will enter school ready to learn. The action agenda was submitted to the…

This report describes policy cooperation in the Education and Training Area in the European Union (EU) in response to the Lisbon strategy and provides a comprehensive plan to respond to the challenges of the knowledge society, globalization, and the enlargement of the EU. It focuses on these three objectives: (1) improving the quality and…

The first section of this booklet discusses the union role in assuring teacher quality, focusing on the teacher development continuum (preservice preparation, entry level standards, induction programs and the granting of tenure, standards for granting tenure, and continuing professional development) and the union role in assuring quality teaching…

This book comprises an overview and 11 chapters that address issues related to flexible approaches to delivery and online learning in particular. "Overview" (Guthrie) highlights key points drawn from the chapters. "Does Digital Literacy Mean More Than Clicking Your Fingers?" (Candy) discusses the importance of information and…

This report details a study combining qualitative and quantitative research tools to compare the functioning of schools in China, Guinea, India, and Mexico and in different development contexts within each country. The focus of the analysis was on the critical factors determining the quality of the interactive process taking place in schools, how…