(1996). The Unified Language Testing Plan: Speaking Proficiency Test. Spanish and English Pilot Validation Studies. Report Number 1. This report describes one segment of the Federal Language Testing Board's Unified Language Testing Plan (ULTP), the validation of speaking proficiency tests in Spanish and English. The ULTP is a project to increase standardization of foreign language proficiency measurement and promote sharing of resources among testing programs in the federal government. Over 200 individuals were tested in the two pilot studies. Analysis of results indicates higher reliability of the ratings than those of a prior interagency study, and increased reliability of the Spanish test than found in an earlier pilot study. Recommendations are made for pilot implementation, further development of tests in other languages, maintenance of interagency collaboration, coordination and quality control during pilot and full implementation, and adjustment in tester training workshop format. Appended materials include the examinee instructions, pre- and post-test questionnaires, rating frequency charts, a summary of… [PDF]
(1989). Provisions of Anti-Drug Abuse Amendments Act of 1988 Relating to Drug Law Enforcement. Information Memorandum 89-1. This document describes major provisions of the Anti-Drug Abuse Amendments Act of 1988, a federal law relating to enforcement of controlled substances laws which authorizes over two billion dollars for anti-drug activities. Provisions of the Act relating primarily to drug abuse education, prevention or treatment and regulation of the manufacture, distribution, import and export of controlled substances are not described in this document. These topics are discussed: (1) coordination of national drug policy; (2) state and local justice assistance grants, including the drug control and system improvement grant program, director's discretionary grants, and regional information sharing systems grant program; (3) drug user accountability, including eligibility for public housing, federal benefits, and drug-free workplace provisions; (4) transfer of forfeited property to state or local enforcement agencies; (5) money laundering; (6) new criminal penalties; (7) civil penalties for…
(1981). A Compendium of Interagency Agreements: Vocational Education, Special Education, and Vocational Rehabilitation. Policy Research and Resource Series: Document 5. Since 1978, several federal and state initiatives have been implemented to strengthen the development of state-level interagency collaboration among vocational education, special education, and vocational rehabilitation. A survey of state directors of vocational education, special education, and vocational rehabilitation was conducted to ascertain the number and comprehensiveness of state-level interagency agreements among their respective agencies. It was found that over the past two years the states appear to have done a comprehensive and thorough job of developing interagency agreements, and are now making efforts to update those agreements. The main part of this document is made up of examples of 29 current interagency agreements that may offer ideas for states and local agencies to use in developing and refining their individual interagency agreements. Several innovative arrangements for sharing programs, inservice training, support services, assessment services, etc., are… [PDF]
(1978). BALLOTS: Stanford University's Library Automation and Information Program, Status Report. This report reviews the goals, operating system, and development plans as of spring 1978 for the Bibliographic Automation of Large Library Operations using a Time-sharing System (BALLOTS) program, an online interactive library automation system developed by Stanford University in 1967. Five primary goals that will guide the operations and development activities of BALLOTS over the next several years are detailed, as well as two immediate objectives. The present BALLOTS system, which supports the technical processing activities of acquisition and cataloging in an integrated manner, is described in terms of services (which include searching, acquisitions, and cataloging), the character set, user support, cataloging standards, and system integrity. Major development projects of the BALLOTS Center for 1978 and 1979 are outlined, including the Network File System, the Authority Control System and Synchronous Communications System, Library Management Information Program, Book and…
(1975). Communication for Change in Education: Educational Linkage Programs in the 1970's. Educational linkage is a system for sharing facts, ideas, values, and skills related to educational work. An extensive survey was made of educational linkage programs, and an evaluation procedure for these programs was designed. Over 40 linkage models were classified as to level of sponsorship and/or service, institutional setting, services provided, focus of service, interaction with client, initiative for undertaking services and evaluated as to simplicity and applicability. To obtain cost factors, 24 kinds of linkage systems were grouped according to retrieval services, publication services, media services, and interpersonal services. An analysis of 1,294 responses to a questionnaire was made to obtain projections for changes in knowledge, attitudes and behavior. Recommendations include: (1) creation of a network of linkage personnel, (2) correlation of linkage services with computer information retrieval, (3) maintenance of standardized unit-cost service records, (4) use of… [PDF]
(1970). Instant Information on Continuing Education in Metro. Surveys were conducted in 1969 to evaluate the usefulness of the metropolitan Toronto Continuing Education Directory, a 424 page work giving course titles, organizations, locations, days and hours, duration, starting dates, prerequisites, qualifications awarded, and other pertinent data. Over 200 copies went free to public libraries, university extension divisions, and community colleges; others were purchased by various users, especially in industrial personnel and counseling. Questionnaire returns of 80%, and personal interviews with professionals, indicated great interest in the Directory. A Metropolitan Information Centre of Continuing Education, with a computer-based file management system, has been established in the Central Library building; it will function as a fact-finding, information sharing, training and demonstration facility for students, and as an aid to course sponsors and professionals. It will produce a revised Directory, test and evaluate other effective means of… [PDF]
(1971). Five-Year Alumni Study of Community College and Technical Institute Students. 1966-67 to 1970-71. A survey was conducted among alumni of Asheville-Bancombe Technical Institute. Questionnaires were mailed to approximately 941 alumni, and 691 or 73 percent were returned. Questions dealt with: (1) personal background information; (2) graduates' experiences with employment, military service, and post-two-year college work; (3) graduates' evaluations of the ABTI program as adequate preparation for their subsequent activities; (4) experiences in specific subject fields and changes graduates would make regarding their majors; (5) graduates' recommendations for upgrading administration, teaching practices, use of the physical plant and equipment, and curriculum. Data will be used to establish alumni files and in a consortium-wide sharing of alumni data. Results showed that: (1) 92 percent were employed; (2) 367 noted post-ABTI education or training; and (3) over 90 percent found counseling and/or advisory services helpful. Background information on the study, the alumni study… [PDF]
(2002). NDU Knowledge Net: A Web-Enabled Just-In-Time Information Service for Continuing Education. This paper describes the development of a web-enabled information service for constituents of the Information Resources Management College (National Defense University, Washington, DC). The constituents of the College, who include graduates, current students, and prospective students, typically work in the Chief Information Officer (CIO) office of United States federal agencies. The Web-enabled information service, known as \Knowledge Net,\ is intended to tie the College constituents located throughout the world into a virtual community, sharing technical information, emerging problems, and potential solutions. Knowledge Net has evolved over a 3-year span from a skunk-works project of several faculty members to an institutionalized system supported by the University. The most significant lessons learned to date include the requirement for a Web-enabled content management system to ease posting of information to the website and the need to adjust administrative policy to encourage… [PDF]
(2004). Quality of Students' Communicative Strategies Delivered Through Computer-Mediated Communications. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, v15 n1 p5-32 Jan. This article discusses the processes of interaction among learners in higher education using a model of content analysis to examine their social construction of knowledge through computer-mediated communications. We examined students' conference transcripts for evidence that their collaborative communicative acts generated constructions of new knowledge. This study was conducted over a period of 14 weeks, at the end of which students were asked to describe their feelings as learners and discussion leaders as well as providing explanations for their communicative actions. We modeled our analysis on Gunawardena, Lowe, and Anderson's (1997) study. Our results indicated that the volume of student interaction was predominantly in the category of sharing and comparing information, that was significantly higher that the category of constructing knowledge. In our study, we asked what the outcome of student communicative strategies meant with respect to the quality of their learning…
(1995). Impact of Appalachia Educational Laboratory's Products and Services on Its Clients in Three Employer Groups and Five Role Groups. As one of the federally-funded regional educational laboratories, the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) is committed to assessing the impact of its products and services on a variety of client subgroups. These include educators and administrators at the elementary, secondary, and higher levels. To address the issue of measuring impact, the AEL identified seven impact categories: (1) overall satisfaction; (2) knowledge and skills; (3) information sharing; (4) use in planning; (5) use in implementation; (6) indirect benefits; and (7) secondary clients' use in implementation. Over a 3-year period, the AEL measured impact with a client questionnaire consisting, in the final version, of 5-item subscales that were administered to 672 individuals in primary client subgroups. Scores from this normative group were converted to percentiles, and mean scores were plotted as profiles for subgroups. Results then reflected specific professional roles and the impacts of the AEL on each. An… [PDF]
(1996). What Is It about Me You Can't Teach? An Instructional Guide for the Urban Educator. This book focuses on research conducted in the last 20 years that shows what urban teachers can do to add new knowledge and skills to their repertoire of teaching so that students can increase their own achievement. Dedicated to the idea that all children can learn, it provides hundreds of practical educational strategies. Some approaches that are described will require more practice and support over a longer period, but others can be implemented immediately. Case studies and sample lessons for all grades and subject areas make it easy to use strategies for applying multiple intelligences, authentic assessment, and mediated learning. Strategies are grouped into these chapters: (1) "High Expectations"; (2) "Intentionality and Reciprocity"; (3) "Meaning"; (4) "Transcendence"; (5)"Self-Regulation and Control of Behavior"; (6) "Competence"; (7) "Sharing Behavior"; (8) "Individuation"; (9) "Goal…
(1982). Three Generations: The NLS of Labor Market Experience of Women. The National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experience have provided a detailed and continuous record of the employment experience, education, attitudes, and family structure of respondents since the mid-1960's. The experience and attitudes of women who have participated in the NLS reflect social as well as demographic changes. A review of findings about trends affecting women's employment shows a steady increase in the proportion of women working after they have children, especially among whites. Over the years, women have tended to accumulate more labor force experience, to get more education, and to have fewer children. Attitudinal barriers to employment for women have been reduced, in large part in response to women's actual labor force experience. Older women seem to be particularly vulnerable to economic bad times. Extreme occupational sex segregation continues. Increases in the rate of childbearing among teens, especially blacks, may prevent them from sharing the… [PDF]
(1988). Southwest Missouri State University Libraries Collection Development Guidelines. This set of collection development guidelines is the response of an academic library to the question of when and where it is most advantageous to provide access to information through resource sharing in lieu of ownership. A Collection Development Committee, appointed by the dean of the university and guided by a self-study format provided by the Association of Research Libraries, collaborated over a two-year period to develop these guidelines concerning the question of ownership. The guidelines include: (1) an introduction with a statement of purpose; (2) a policy statement outline describing its purpose and emphasis, collection parameters, collecting levels, related subject statements, and additional sources (outside libraries or resource centers with special collections); (3) collecting levels and language codes; (4) mission statement of the library; (5) gift policy; (6) a description of the various university libraries in light of the policy statement components; and (7) policy… [PDF]
(1987). Operation Rescue: Reaching At-Risk Students through Teacher Initiatives. The National Education Association's "Operation Rescue" employs a two-tiered approach to combating the dropout rate: the first approach is research and information sharing, the second is to facilitate direct action at the local level through a grants program to fund dropout prevention programs in the schools. In order to focus Operation Rescue for greatest effectiveness, dropout prevention programs in operation were surveyed and classified, and information exchanges were held in four cities, with over 300 participants, including representatives from 15 national organizations. Resulting from the information exchanges is a publication, "A Blueprint for Success," that sets forth principles that bring into focus issues, attitudes, and concerns essential for planning and implementing a successful dropout prevention program. Sixteen grants totaling approximately $450,000 have been awarded to teachers across the country. All the programs are designed on the local level,…
(1987). Contemporary Elementary and Middle School Physical Education Conference (9th, Atlanta, Georgia, January 22-24, 1987). The conference reported in these proceedings focused on the sharing of recent innovations, successful programming and teaching concepts, and research in children's physical education. Materials are presented in three sections, one for each day of the conference. The first day's agenda included presentations by nationally known physical educators on such subjects as teaching for skilled movement, biomechanics for the physical education teacher, clinical skills for supervising student teachers, and a developmental approach to dance and music, as well as a tour of movement pre-schools. The two remaining days were designed to provide an open forum for educators from throughout the United States and elsewhere and consisted of well over 100 activity and position paper sessions covering a range of teaching approaches including computer applications, nutrition, motivation, games and sports, various kinds of dance, object-control skills, fitness for the disabled, eurhythmics, and specific…