Siegel, Eleanor; Siegel, Linda (1993). Keys to Disciplining Your Young Child: From Infant to Toddler. Barron's Parenting Keys. Close parent-child relationships begin with an early, effective approach to everyday discipline problems. This book focuses on children from infancy to age five and discusses practical ways to handle common discipline problems using an approach of identifying the problem and providing a goal behavior. Thirty eight chapters address the following discipline issues: (1) planning before discipline problems arise; (2) disagreements over discipline; (3) spanking and nonphysical discipline techniques; (4) punishments, time-outs, and loss of privileges; (5) thumb sucking and pacifier use"; (6) terrible twos; (7) problem-solving games; (8) toilet training; (9) lying; (10) stealing; (11) fighting with friends or siblings; (12) bedtime problems; (13) Crude language and name calling; (14) the difficult child; (15) chores; (16) destructive discipline and constructive discipline; (17) appearances; (18) company manners; (19) rewards; (20) discipline without sibling rivalry; (21) empathy; (22)…

Hertzog, Hillary; Lemlech, Johanna K. (1998). Preparing Teachers for Leadership Roles. This study looked at teachers in their 2nd-4th years of teaching to compare their professional activities with what current studies indicate are teacher leadership behaviors and characteristics. The study sought to determine whether the University of Southern California's teacher preparation program taught the professional skills that elementary teachers needed in reform oriented schools and whether they exhibited the characteristics of teacher leaders. Researchers specifically worked with graduates who were considered good teachers at the end of their student teaching assignments. A total of 14 teachers in four school districts completed mailed questionnaires that examined their perspectives of their professional lives. Their principals also received questionnaires. After they returned the questionnaires, participants completed interviews about the school and district cultures. Results revealed patterns of professional behavior including: collaboration; sharing of expertise;… [PDF]

Carter, David; Hodder, Jacqueline (1997). The Role of New Information Technologies in Facilitating Professional Reflective Practice across the Supervisory Triad. This study investigated the role of new information management technologies in facilitating student teacher supervision across the supervisory triad of student teacher, cooperating teacher, and university supervisor. The study investigated how data routinely generated by teachers and stored within an Instructional Information Management System (IIMS) was contemplated by student teachers and their supervisors in promoting reflective practice. Four secondary student teachers participated. The Remote Area Practicum Supervision Project occurred over 1 semester. It was designed to evaluate the potential of new information technologies and the implications of these technologies for new ways to conduct preservice teacher practicums. An IIMS was networked within a remote school and linked to the university to share information across both sites. The student teachers and their university supervisors and cooperating teachers received extensive training in the IIMS before and during the… [PDF]

Ziderman, Adrian (2003). Financing Vocational Training in Sub-Saharan Africa. Africa Region Human Development Series. This document is part of the World Bank's comprehensive study of post-basic education and training in Sub-Sahara Africa and includes findings from three short field studies conducted in South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbawe in early 2001. Chapter titles are as follows: Executive Summary; Introduction; Conventional Patterns of Financing Training; Role of the State in Financing; Finance Flows: Three Scenarios; Development of National Training Funds; Training Levies; Finance Mechanisms: Augmenting Funding for Training; Funding Distribution: Transfer to Training Institutions; Enhancing Enterprise Training; Financing Informal Sector Training; Financing Mechanisms, Contributing Conclusions: Major Policy Messages. (The main objective of training policy was defined as follows: facilitating the development of effective, efficient, competitive, flexible, and responsive [demand-driven] training systems to meet national economic and social needs and the needs of individuals. The following were… [PDF]

Hurlbutt, Karen (2003). Adults with Asperger Syndrome: How They Have Helped My Teaching. A qualitative study of three adults with Asperger Syndrome consisted of interviews conducted in person, over the phone, and via e-mail for 9 months. A main theme of the study was that they wanted to be considered experts in the field of autism and be consulted on issues related to autism. Consequently, these adults were asked to be part of a course at the University of North Dakota that provides parents, teachers, and caregivers of individuals with Asperger Syndrome with knowledge and experience of diagnosis and characteristics, assessments, functional analysis, methods, and support for families. This online course has a Web site that includes audio power-point lectures and other materials that are downloaded for each week's chat session. The adults did two interviews for the class. One was about their experiences growing up, their families, and their school experiences. The other was about their experiences transitioning into the adult world and what it was like being an adult with… [PDF]

Hansford, Dave; Lignugaris-Kraft, Benjamin; Menlove, Ronda R. (2000). Creating a Community of Distance Learners: Putting Technology To Work. Learning at a distance can be challenging for preservice teacher education students living in remote rural sites. The Department of Special Education at Utah State University (USU) uses technology to overcome student isolation by linking students to supportive university learning communities. Many students in the USU distance education, special education certification program are nontraditional students–older, employed, with family commitments. Distance education provides convenient access to a university degree program in local communities but can be stressful for these students, who may lack college experience and self-confidence and need support. The USU program enhances student learning and support through the easy-to-use, low-cost, Internet-delivered Sorenson EnVision technology. EnVision is a teleconferencing system, using a unique compression technology to deliver voice and video over the Internet, even at very low data throughput rates. This technology allows face-to-face… [PDF]

Brunn, Michael (2000). Migrant Children in the Rural Midwest: A Collaboration of Teachers and Administrators To Reform School Programs. Within a 3-year period, a rural Midwestern school district's Hispanic student population increased from 3 to over 180 due to the hiring of migrant workers by a local meat packing plant. A qualitative study using interviews and classroom observations examined the processes through which 23 teachers and 5 administrators in this school district formulated an effective instructional program for recently arrived Spanish-speaking students. Input was sought from teachers, the Hispanic parents, and the Hispanic students. The change process consisted of three phases. The Program-Exploring Phase established a common base of understanding among the three stakeholder groups about effective bilingual programs. In the Consensus-Building Phase, a steering committee of representative stakeholders drew on the discussions of the first phase to develop a Statement of Principles and Beliefs (SPB). During the "Response and Ratification Phase," the SPB was sent back to stakeholders for their… [PDF]

Weiss, Suzanne, Ed. (1995). Mapping Out a Standards-Based Framework for Geography: The Colorado Geography Curriculum Framework. This curriculum framework is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide for redesigning curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development around the new Colorado state model of content standards for K-12 geography education. The framework enumerates strategies and ideas for implementing the new standards at the district, school, and classroom level. Part 1 of the framework, "Exploring Standards," provides an introduction to the new geography standards, and traces their evolution at the national and state level over the past several years. A set of model benchmarks offers examples of how each of the six standards can be woven into the curriculum at various grade levels. Part 2, "Charting a New Course," explores the "nuts and bolts" of redesigning curriculum, instruction, and assessment around the new standards. This includes: (1) developing a standards-based unit of instruction; (2) incorporating the standards into existing curriculum;… [PDF]

Kobayashi, Futoshi (1999). Cultural Differences and Similarities in Terms of Child and Adolescent Psychopathology. This study investigates the controversy over whether or not culture has an effect on child and adolescent psychopathology. It presents the two opposing positions held in the field. The "universalists" argue that child and adolescent psychopathology is significantly similar across cultures. The "culturalists" argue that culture is a strikingly important factor when it comes to psychopathology. The study suggests that more cross-cultural studies of child and adolescent psychopathology are needed to make definite conclusions about the debate among the researchers since both sides are right to some degree. It suggests that the debate may not be a valid topic because some psychopathology can have a strong biological base and another psychopathology can have strong cultural influences. In addition, culture is too vague and global an area to study because it includes religion, community, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity. Before studies in culture could be conclusive,… [PDF]

(1999). Sharing Our Pathways: A Newsletter of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative, 1996-1999. Sharing Our Pathways: A Newsletter of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative, v1-4 1996-1999. In 1995 the National Science Foundation funded the Alaska Rural System Initiative (RSI), a joint effort of the Alaska Federation of Natives and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Among its goals, the RSI aims to increase the presence of Alaska Native knowledge and perspectives in all areas of science and education in rural Alaska, develop culturally responsive curriculum models consistent with state and national standards for science education, document indigenous knowledge systems, and improve Native students' academic performance and entry into careers in science and technology. Five initiatives–Native ways of knowing and teaching, indigenous science knowledge base, elders and culture camps, culturally aligned curriculum adaptations, and village science applications and careers–were to be implemented over a 5-year period in Alaska's five cultural regions: Inupiaq, Aleut, Athabaskan, Southeast, and Yupik areas. Also, improvements in educational technology infrastructure were to… [PDF]

(1999). Budget Analysis, 1999-00. Review of the Enacted Budget. This report provides an overview of New York State's 1999-00 budget. The analysis states that spending for 1999-00 increased by $2.7 billion over the previous year. It portrays a dire situation in which projected budget gaps will be approximately $2.8 billion in 2000-01 and $4.6 billion in 2001-02. The budget does feature planned, year-end fund balances, but the level of nonrecurring resources also increased. It describes how most of the budget's spending increases are driven by current law and the legislative rejection of proposed cuts, rather than by program expansions. The text focuses on how education, local governments, and health and social services fared in the budget. It details how a 7.8 percent state-aid increase is provided for the 1999-00 school year, bringing total aid to more than $12.6 billion. However, this increase is diminished by the budget's failure to advance the equity of the aid distribution and by the lateness of the budget. Local governments received a… [PDF]

Lawrence, Barbara Kent (1999). Praxis to Practice: Putting Qualitative Methods To Work for Rural Education. This paper examines issues and areas of concern for the educational researcher moving from the relative safety of academic research to the more perilous arena of practice-oriented or action-oriented qualitative research. The first question is one of purity or objectivity: giving credibility to research results by imposing adequate rigor on methods and interpretation to offset the agenda of a financial supporter or to balance the researcher's own perspective or ambitions. The second question regards the ethics of research. The action researcher has no more license to harm than does the academic researcher. It is argued that the applied or action researcher must have higher standards of ethics as the research subjects will not be anonymous and their lives or careers could be negatively affected. Next is the question of power–the aura around \research\ that elevates the researcher over his or her subjects, as well as the power of the qualitative research process to distort the… [PDF]

(2005). Curriculum Review. Volume 44, Number 7. Curriculum Review, v44 n7 Mar. Each month, "Curriculum Review" offers teachers mutual support, the sharing of ideas, and words of encouragement to help them face challenges in the classroom. The March 2005 issue of "Curriculum Review" contains the following articles: (1) "We Hear from Readers"; (2) "Correction"; (3) "What They're Saying"; (4) "Technology Update"; (5) "Surf These Web Sites"; (6) "Get Your Site Reviewed"; (7) "Two Ways to Jump-Start Learning Excitement"; (8) "Give Students a Taste of the Water Filtration Process"; (9) "Enlist Older Students to Buddy up with Younger Children for Science Fun"; (10) "Inspiring Words for Educators"; (11) "Last Month in Education"; (12) "What the Numbers Say"; (13) "Between Tears & Laughter"; (14) "Race to Knowledge along With the Iditarod"; (15) "Enlisting Parental Help to Teach Math Skills is in the…

(2004). Preserving a Legacy: Janice R. Franklin–Alabama State University, Montgomery–Loretta O'Brien–Parham Hampton University, VA. Library Journal, v129 n5 pS43 Mar. In 2001, Janice R. Franklin and Loretta O'Brien Parham attended a meeting of the Southeastern Library Network (SOLINET) Board of Directors, an ordinary enough event. Observing the support that the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries provides its members, they realized there was no such mutual assistance program for the librarians at historically black colleges and universities (HBCU). They also discovered that the library directors of the 103 HBCUs had never even met. Franklin, director of the library at Alabama State University, Montgomery, and Parham, director of the Harvey Library at Hampton University, VA, resolved to do something. They approached Kate Nevins, SOLINET's executive director, who agreed to provide funding and support. She also helped secure additional funding from the Council on Library Resources and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Franklin and Parham co-chaired the first meeting of the HBCU library directors in October 2002. Parham led off the meeting…

Harris, Linda (2006). Learning from the Youth Opportunity Experience: Building Delivery Capacity in Distressed Communities. Center for Law and Social Policy, Inc. (CLASP) In May 2000, the United States Department of Labor awarded sizable Youth Opportunity (YO) Grants to 36 high-poverty urban, rural, and Native American communities. These communities were among the most economically distressed communities in the nation, all characterized by high drop out rates, high youth unemployment rates, greater incidence of juvenile crime, violence, and gang activity. The Youth Opportunity Grants–ranging from $3.1 to $43.8 million over five years–provided the resources to put in place comprehensive approaches at considerable scale. The Department's expressed intent in awarding these grants was to demonstrate that the educational outcomes and economic prospects for young people in high-poverty communities could be dramatically improved by infusing these communities with resources; building capacity and infrastructure; connecting systems; and developing comprehensive, age-appropriate opportunities for youth. The observations in this paper are based on the… [PDF]

Olson, Carol Booth, Comp. (2000). Practical Ideas for Teaching Writing as a Process at the High School and College Levels. 1997 Revised Edition. The concept of writing as process has revolutionized the way many view composition, and this book is organized by the stages of that process. Each section begins with a well-known author presenting specific techniques, followed by commentaries which include testimonials, applications of writing techniques, and descriptions of strategy modifications all contributed by classroom teachers. The book includes the following sections and initial chapters: Section 1 (The Process): "Teaching Writing as a Process" (Catherine D'Aoust); Section 2 (Prewriting): "Clustering: A Prewriting Process" (Gabriele Lusser Rico); Section 3 (Prewriting in Different Subjects): "Prewriting Assignments Across the Curriculum" (Jim Lee); Section 4 (Showing, Not Telling): "A Training Program for Student Writers" (Rebekah Caplan); Section 5 (Using Cooperative Learning to Facilitate Writing): "Using Structures to Promote Cooperative Learning in Writing" (Jeanne M….

Connor, Kathy; Killmer, Nadine (1995). Evaluation of Cooperating Teacher Effectiveness. Data were collected from 307 senior level student teachers over 3 semesters in rural and urban placements and from 78 cooperating teachers on the qualities they considered most important for cooperating teachers. Cooperating teachers also offered information about skills and practices that work successfully in the student teaching relationship. Both groups completed open-ended questionnaires, the results of which were categorized and responses listed in order of frequency. Findings indicated that selection would center on individuals with the ability to communicate and provide feedback and who are open to sharing their internal and external resources. Additional characteristics would include ability to provide a supportive environment, organization, enthusiasm, pedagogical knowledge, and flexibility. Formal, periodic cooperating teacher evaluation is recommended. Four suggestions are made for cooperative teacher training programs. First, a collaborative approach between colleges and… [PDF]

Banathy, Bela H.; And Others (1976). The Effects of Learned Leadership/Membership Skills on Work Performance. Final Report. The project examined the effects of learned leadership/membership skills on performance in task-oriented groups, developed competence-based instructional materials to teach such skills, and examined the effects of such skills on individual and group knowledge, skills, attitudes, and performance. Following a literature review, materials review, and needs assessment, discussions and questionnaires gathered information from teachers, parents, counselors, managers, employers, and students. Specific needs having been established, the curriculum design and prototype modules were developed. Eight priority areas were identified as those to be addressed in the development effort: Group communication, knowing and using resources, evaluation, conflict resolution, planning, coordinating activities, sharing leaderships, and decisionmaking. Extensive pilot testing over the following two years involved a variety of student settings–urban, suburban, rural; large schools and small; academically… [PDF]

Simic, Marjorie R.; Smith, Carl B. (1993). Parents Sharing Books (PSB). Technical Report. Noting that family involvement in education is important, this report describes and evaluates the Parents Sharing Books (PSB) program which was designed to encourage parents to become involved with their middle-school children's education. The report notes that the program was implemented over a 2.5 year period and had the following goals: increase family literacy (the reading of books and the positive interaction between parents and middle school children through books); encourage parents and children to communicate better; and provide effective instruction to leader teams who would then provide similar instruction to parents in their local communities. The first section of the report discusses project development; product development; and training, support, and reaching-out. The second section of the report provides a profile of PSB participants. The third section discusses evaluating PSB and provides case reports. The fourth section of the report discusses limitations of the… [PDF]

MacDaniels, Carol; Sparks, Barbara (1998). Subjectivity in Women's Learning: A Case for Participatory Inquiry. A participatory research model collected stories of the experiences and most pressing problems of mothers on welfare. Over 35 African American, biracial, and Anglo women from an urban community who received cash assistance in a midwestern, largely rural state participated in small group discussions at a job readiness program. An interactive narrative approach created a safe environment where women would be listened to, taken into account, and validated in their past experiences, current circumstances, and feelings. Focuses were issues of intersubjectivity as women interact across differences, across different positionalities and social locations of race, class, gender, and sexuality while sharing "common experiences" as they recognize themselves in others. The following themes were identified in their stories: concepts of wearing masks to seem other than one is, creating space for one another to speak, need for emergent discussion topics from women's interests and… [PDF]

Bishop, Wendy (1987). Revising the Technical Writing Class: Peer Critiques, Self-Evaluation and Portfolio Grading. A process oriented technical writing course was devised at the University of Alaska to counteract the "forms" approach and to include peer critiques and student participation in class grading. Modifications to the standard syllabus included (1) student analyses of their own writing processes through literacy autobiographies, (2) student interviews with practitioners in different fields to identify types and kinds of writing done in those fields, (3) discussions of paper types and textbook readings leading to student-generated critique sheets, (4) conference based reviews of peer-completed critique sheets, and (5) compilation of extensively revised, carefully self-evaluated portfolios of technical writing (graded at midterm and at semester's end). By sharing the first two assignments in peer writing groups, students learn that they have many writing experiences in common (e.g. writing block), and also find that most professionals in their fields spend over 50% of their time…

(2000). Networks and Clusters in the Rural Challenge: A Special Report to the Rural School and Community Trust. An important feature of the Annenberg Rural Challenge (now the Rural School and Community Trust) was the insistence that all funded projects be organized around networks and clusters. These networks/clusters aimed to help overcome the isolation of rural schools and communities and to multiply possibilities for sharing resources and enlarging the work on place-based education. This report synthesizes information gathered on network and cluster formation, structure, and function over the 4 years of the Rural Challenge grant. An introduction discusses theories on networks in educational settings, the Rural Challenge's vision of rural school reform, earlier rural reform movements, and the Rural Challenge's networking strategies and goals. The 35 distinct projects of the Rural Challenge are then sorted among three types of networks/clusters: large statewide networks that serve as intermediary organizations to smaller clusters of schools and communities; specific program networks that… [PDF]

Crombez, Mary Margaret, Ed.; Mangigian, Lisa, Ed. (1998). Offspring, 1998. Offspring, v40 n1-2 Spr-Fall. This document is comprised of the two 1998 issues of a magazine for parents, teachers, and others involved in cooperative nursery schools. The magazine is designed to provide a forum for views on dealing with young children, express a variety of ideas, promote the cooperative philosophy, and to enhance the relationships of those involved in cooperative nursery schools. The Spring 1998 issue contains the following articles: (1) "Adventures in Learning: An Interview with Nancy Weber" (Lisa Mangigian); (2) "If I Were To Start My Family Over Again" (John Drescher); (3) "When You Are Concerned about a Child's Development: Ideas for Parents and Children" (Mary Donegan); (4) "Remember Your Mother…Goose" (Lee Ann Teagan); and (5) "One Step Ahead: A Review of Readable Resources for Parents and Teachers" (Gretchen Geverdt). The Fall 1998 issue contains the following articles: (1) "Welcome to Co-op: Sharing Learning with the Whole… [PDF]

Sheive, L. T.; And Others (1992). Adapting STePS, an Adult Team Problem Solving Model, for Use with Sixth Grade Students. Structured Team Problem Solving (STePS) is a problem solving model for shared decision making. This project uses the model to discover if children can learn using this method, and what adaptations would be necessary for child use. Sixth grade students in their social studies class worked together in teams (6-8) to identify what they already think they know about a social studies topic. They then identify what they need to know, how they will approach this new learning, and how they will present their findings to other classmates. Students learn the six STePS procedures of brainstorming, clarifying, clustering, prioritizing, diagramming, and action planning. They learn and use the fifteen STePS techniques that include role sharing among facilitator, recorder, and checker. Students were observed using this model over a three year period. Findings from the project include the following: (1) students learn as much about a content area when they are learning via STePS as they do in a…

(1994). Women Work, Poverty Persists: A Status Report on Displaced Homemakers & Single Mothers in the United States. For many single mothers and displaced homemakers (homemakers who must suddenly enter the workforce), jobs often do not signify escape from poverty. 1990 U.S. Census data indicate that the number of single mothers and displaced homemakers rose dramatically during the 1980s. Workforce participation for this group also rose during that decade, but the Census shows that a greater percentage of this group lived in poverty in 1990 than had in 1980, a far greater percentage than that of the U.S. population at large. These women are dramatically over-represented in service occupations and under-represented in non-traditional jobs. Their housing status tends to be unstable, with most of them renting or sharing housing and less than one-third being homeowners. This information points to the need for government intervention. Improved federal education and training programs could be important pathways to economic self-sufficiency for both displaced homemakers and single mothers. Beneficial…

DOLCH, EDWARD W. (1961). INDIVIDUALIZED READING VS. GROUP READING. THE INDIVIDUALIZED METHOD OF TEACHING READING IS BEING USED IN SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, AND MORE AND MORE SCHOOLS ARE BEGINNING TO TRY IT. THE MONOGRAPH WAS PREPARED TO HELP THOSE INTERESTED IN INDIVIDUALIZED READING TO UNDERSTAND THE METHOD, THE PROBLEMS WHICH MAY ARISE, AND HOW IT COMPARES, IN DETAIL, WITH THE METHOD OF GROUP READING. INDIVIDUALIZED READING IMPLIES THAT THE CHILDREN ARE SEATED AT THEIR DESKS IN A CLASSROOM, EACH WITH A DIFFERENT BOOK HE HAS SELECTED. EACH CHILD RECEIVES INDIVIDUAL HELP FROM THE TEACHER AND PARTICIPATES IN SHARING WHAT HE HAS LEARNED WITH THE OTHER CHILDREN. THE INDIVIDUALIZED METHOD ASSUMES THAT "SPECIAL NEED" GROUPS WILL BE USED TO LEARN CERTAIN SKILLS SUCH AS PHONICS. PROBLEMS DISCUSSED INCLUDE TEACHER CONTROL OVER THE CLASS, CLASS SIZE, AND THE SUPPLY OF ENOUGH BOOKS TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAM. THERE ARE NO CLEAR SOLUTIONS, BUT SATISFACTORY RESULTS HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED THROUGH INGENUITY AND RESOURCEFULNESS. EXPERIMENTS TO MEASURE THE…

Myerberg, N. James (1996). Performance on Different Test Types by Racial/Ethnic Group and Gender. As is consistent with national trends, the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public School System is exploring the use of instruments other than multiple-choice tests for high-stakes testing. This paper presents information on racial, ethnic, and gender differences in performance on the various types of tests being administered in the district. Sharing such information among school systems will help in the evaluation of new types of assessment. The six assessments used in the study were: (1) a mathematics multiple choice test given to grades 3 to 8; (2) a mathematics short answer test for grades 3 to 8; (3) a locally developed mathematics extended answer test for grades 4, 6, and 7; (4) a reading multiple choice test for grades 3 to 8; (5) a language arts extended answer test for grades 4, 6, and 7; and (6) the Maryland School Performance Assessment program for grades 3, 5, and 8. There were no meaningful differences in mathematics performance by racial and ethnic group across the… [PDF]

Lindquist, Barbara; Rosaen, Cheryl L. (1993). Understanding One Writer's Growth: Case Study Materials. Elementary Subjects Center Series No. 66. Developed from a year-long collaboration between researchers and a fifth-grade teacher, this paper presents case study materials designed for use with prospective and experienced teachers interested in thinking and learning about students' writing development. Several kinds of information regarding the progress of "Billy" are included in the paper: transcripts of classroom interactions such as sharing time and writing conferences; written work from Billy's writing folder and journal; self-evaluations; and excerpts from an end-of-year group interview. The materials in the paper are designed to be used flexibly in a group situation where participants can discuss their impressions and insights as they study the examples, drawing on their own knowledge and experience as teachers of writing. The paper offers an initial set of analytic categories for use in interpreting the examples. The three sections of the paper enable teachers to study all or parts of the materials. Section… [PDF]

Kyllonen, Patrick C.; And Others (1989). Knowledge and Processing Speed as Determinants of Associative Learning. Interim Technical Paper for Period February 1986-February 1987. In five experiments with over 2,500 subjects, we examined the hypothesis that cognitive processing variables measuring breadth of declarative knowledge and information processing speed were related to learning outcomes on a paired-associates task. Experiments 1 and 2 compared recall with recognition tests, Experiment 3 assessed the effect of study-block size, Experiment 4 examined the effect of mnemonic strategy, and Experiment 5 tested the effect of mixing study times and presenting words versus nonsense syllable stimuli. Across all experiments, breadth of verbal knowledge was found to be a strong predictor of retention overall, and a strong predictor of increment in retention benefits due to increases in study time. Mnemonic strategy training improved retention but also served to enhance the relationship between knowledge and retention. Memory search speed also predicted retention, but primarily under conditions of high information flow, either as a result of short (5 seconds per… [PDF]

Gmelch, Walter H.; Wolverton, Marvin L.; Wolverton, Mimi (1999). The Education Dean's Search for Balance. This study examined who deans of education were, where they worked, how they defined roles and responsibilities, what unique challenges faced female deans, how deans characterized their leadership style, what stressors impacted their ability to be effective, and how they maintained balance between scholarship and leadership and between professional and personal pressures. Data came from the Center for the Study of Academic Leadership national survey of U.S. academic deans. In 1996-97, deans from 360 institutions completed a mailed survey, the National Study of Academic Deans in Higher Education. Results indicated that deans were predominantly male, white, and over age 50. They were most likely to use the assistant dean, associate dean, or assistant to the dean positions as the positions preceding deanship. Most were from public colleges and universities. Tasks they considered most important included maintaining conducive work climates, fostering good teaching, representing the… [PDF]