This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Alvy L. King, Frank Renz, James G. Thompson, Margaret Nieto, David L. Williams, Paul Rost, Al King, Jennifer S. Johns, James H. Rupp, and Michael Styer.
(1986). Hispanic Youth Employment Guidebook: Local Government Approaches Using Public-Private Partnerships. This guidebook was developed as an aid to communities seeking to create partnerships between public and private sector sources to reduce the youth unemployment among Hispanics. The International City Management Association (ICMA), as part of a project sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services, identifies six model ventures using the partnership approach and this guidebook is, in part, a report on these projects. The communities that participated were in New Mexico, California, and Florida. One section discusses characteristics of the Hispanic youth unemployment problems, with a history of Hispanics in the United States, demographics on the group, and the various barriers to employment. Another covers the general concept of public and private partnerships with specific reference to the Jobs Training Partnership Act (JTPA). Each of the six successful communities' programs are described, including information on funding, innovative approaches, problems, and points which were especially successful and which could be transferred to other communities. Finally, the peer matching component of the program in which two successful programs were matched with two communities wanting to initiate similar projects is described. Appended are an annotated list of national organizations dealing with youth unemployment and a list of local Hispanic employment organizations arranged by state. A bibliography of four pages is provided. [More] Descriptors: Community Services, Employment Opportunities, Hispanic Americans, Public Agencies
(1985). Evaluating Teachers: With Lessons from Georgia's Performance-Based Certification Program. An overview of the reasons for and basic elements of teacher evaluation programs, and a deeper look at one state's program in particular, are presented in this booklet. The first chapter discusses why teacher evaluations are useful, what processes for evaluation can be followed, how state and local policymakers can enhance the usefulness of teacher evaluation, and why evaluation programs must be continuously updated. Chapter 2 briefly describes evaluation systems used in five states: an internship program in Kansas, career ladders in Arizona and Tennessee, Mississippi's Accountability/Instructional Model, and New Mexico's Staff Accountability Plan. Georgia's teacher evaluation program is described in detail in chapter 3. Among the aspects of Georgia's program that are covered are teacher testing in basic skills, general knowledge, professional education, and specific subject areas; the use of norm- and criterion-referenced tests; certification and testing; on-the-job assessment; the selection and training of evaluators; the scheduling of evaluations; and staff development efforts aimed at meeting demonstrated needs. Chapter 4 identifies factors to consider when evaluating for promotions or salary increases. Twelve references and a list of nine bookets available from the Education Commission of the States are provided. [More] Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, Observation, Performance, State Programs
(1985). Influencing Teaching: An Inside View of an Outside Interest Group. The New Mexico Solar Energy Institute (NMSEI) education program has attempted to influence teachers to increase the quantity and quality of teaching about renewable energy sources and their uses. Since 1982, the program has used the following methods for influencing energy education: a newsletter for educators; conference and classroom presentations for children, their teachers, and preteachers; development and distribution of a curriculum package for an adult education course; distribution of instructional materials; participation in a national energy education day project; and the donation of laboratory equipment. Each of these program activities is described. Also described is the evaluation of several program components, including: (1) the newsletter (asking how many people read each copy, which sections of the newsletter are most useful, and if teachers use its suggested activities in the classroom), with results based on 207 responses out of 1,000 included with the fourth issue of the first column of the newsletter; and (2) the curriculum package with content related to a solar home, based on 39 surveys (86 were mailed) returned by students who completed the course. Overall, these and the other program activities have been successful in increasing teaching about renewable energy. [More] Descriptors: Adult Education, Curriculum Development, Curriculum Evaluation, Elementary Secondary Education
(1985). Parent Involvement in Education Project. Final Report (December 1, 1984-November 30, 1985). In response to the increased emphasis on parent involvement in schools, the Parent Involvement in Education Project (PIEP) conducted a comprehensive six-year study of the attitudes and current practices of teacher educators, teachers, principals, parents, and school administrators in a six state region (Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas). This final report in the study describes a survey questionnaire distributed to over 1,000 parents in New Orleans, Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston. The previous parent survey (1982) did not obtain sufficient response from urban populations to provide a complete information base. Survey results support previous findings about parents' involvement and interest in educational matters. In addition, the report recommends actions for both parents and educators to increase and sustain parent involvement. Contents covered in the report include the following: background information; project plan; major activities and accomplishments; major conclusions and recommendations; significance of project accomplishments; deliverables; selected references; and attachments. Included in the attachments is a sample copy of the parent involvement questionnaire as well as extensive tables summarizing project data. [More] Descriptors: Educational Policy, Elementary Education, Parent Attitudes, Parent Participation
(1984). Title IV-A Indian Education Program Evaluation, 1983-84. The third year of Title IV-A Indian Education programs in Albuquerque, New Mexico, public schools saw fulfillment of some program objectives despite funding decreases, personnel cuts, and increased requests for remedial tutoring. Two tutors and a counselor tutored 15 middle school and 26 high school students from the Navajo community of Canoncito in an effort to improve/maintain student grades. Turnover of tutoring staff and decreased tutoring contacts resulted in 81% of grades decreasing and 12% remaining the same. Four tutors tutored 53 middle school and 68 high school students from the Isleta Pueblo in an effort to maintain/improve letter grades and to increase student involvement in extracurricular activities. Isleta program objectives were achieved–12% of grades remained the same, 57% improved while 40% of the students participated in extracurricular activities. The urban program component employed 42 tutors, a resource teacher, a program coordinator, and a secretary to tutor 578 students in grades K-12. The program met its objective of increased student personal effectiveness/self-image and improved skills necessary for continued learning. Insufficient data prevented evaluation of student improvement using the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills. Recommendations for program improvement included: analyze personnel needs, establish program parameters, provide inservice education for tutors, and standardize recordkeeping. Descriptors: Academic Achievement, American Indian Education, American Indians, Cognitive Processes
(1986). Community Colleges and Apprenticeship Training: A Winning Partnership. In 1984, a partnership was developed between San Juan College (SJC) and the Public Service Company of New Mexico's (PNM) San Juan Generating Plant. An agreement was reached to promote training through a planned educational experience in which SJC awarded credit for courses taught by PNM training personnel. The program began in response to the need for an industrial instrumentation program that would meet PNM's needs, and proved so successful it was expanded into apprenticeship programs in eight crafts. This expansion involved the development of curricula for each craft; the establishment of associate of applied science degree programs; the preparation of an informational handbook, job training sheets, class/work schedules, and progress/status sheets; and the establishment of policies and procedures. In light of the success of this partnership program, in 1985 SJC entered into a partnership with the Arizona Public Service Company to provide training for apprentices in the electrical, instrumentation, and machinist crafts and established an Industrial Management program at PNM to serve blue collar as well as low and mid-management employees. SJC is continuing the development of its partnerships, looking at clerical positions, security guards, management, and childcare as possible areas for future program development. Descriptors: Apprenticeships, Community Colleges, Cooperative Programs, On the Job Training
(1986). Native American Children, Youth, and Families. Part 3. Hearing before the Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families. House of Representatives, Ninety-Ninth Congress, Second Session (Albuquerque, NM, January 10, 1986). As part of a weeklong investigation into conditions among Native American families and children, the House of Representatives Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families met to hear testimony from tribal leaders, parents, young adults, and service providers from reservations and pueblos in New Mexico and Colorado. Topics include unemployment and its effect on the family; housing, sewer, and electricity shortages; a tribally-run school that acts as a base for a comprehensive array of youth and adult services; and foster care and child welfare services. Numerous speakers address the link between alcohol abuse and family problems including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Teen-age students from the Southern Ute Tribe (Colorado) discuss a program they initiated to encourage fellow students to remain drug and alcohol free. The report includes transcription of the hearing proceedings, numerous prepared statements from tribal organizations, and articles on issues such as adolescent suicide at an Indian reservation, health of Native American women, childhood injuries in a Native American community, and the epidemiology of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome among American Indians of the Southwest. [More] Descriptors: American Indian Education, American Indian Reservations, American Indians, Child Welfare
(1984). Federal Budget: Spending Out of Control? Today's Issues/Tomorrow's America. Intended to provide secondary students with information on the federal budget, this kit provides a teacher's guide, a test, a crossword puzzle, and a series of reproducible graphs and handouts focusing on budget deficits and the national debt. Study materials and graphics are based almost entirely on articles and graphics found in "U.S. News & World Report." The first set of graphics demonstrates the value of trillions in everyday terms, illustrates projected deficits through 1985, places the 925.5 billion dollar budget in perspective, and shows the relationship between government borrowing and rising interest costs. Subsequent graphics show spending trends with resulting deficits and the number of Americans who were predicted to benefit from federal spending in 1985. Articles reproduced on ditto masters present ideas that lawmakers such as Bob Dole (Kansas), Russell Long (Louisiana), Jim Jones (Oklahoma), Pete Domenici (New Mexico), and Barber Conable (New York), have for cutting the federal deficit. "Budget-Limit Bandwagon Picks Up Speed," a lesson designed as a reading and writing exercise, is provided for students of varying ability levels. Final materials include "Tidal Wave of Red Ink," which graphically examines deficits under presidential administrations from Truman to Reagan, and "Budget Deficit Needs a 'Quick-Fix–the Quicker the Better,'" a transcribed conversation with economist Eliot Janeway. Descriptors: Debt (Financial), Expenditures, Federal Government, Financial Policy
(1985). Ways to Improve Schools and Education Project. Final Report (December 1, 1984 – November 30, 1985). The Ways to Improve Schools and Education (WISE) Project seeks to enhance school productivity by more effective use of community resources to meet school needs. Models and guidelines have been developed to promote collaboration among schools, businesses/chambers of commerce, other community organizations, state education agencies, and higher education agencies. Initiated in 1982, Project WISE has pilot-tested school and business/community partnerships throughout the six-state region of the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. WISE worked with three sites–Albuquerque, New Mexico; Austin, Texas; and Okalahoma City, in 1983-84. For 1985, three more sites were added: Little Rock, Arkansas; Jackson, Mississippi; and New Orleans, Louisiana. This final report provides a detailed account of the activities conducted by the Project in 1985. Included in the report are: (1) a description of the background of WISE; (2) WISE goals, objectives and related activities; (3) major activities and accomplishments; (4) major conclusions and recommendations; and (5) a discussion on the significance of the major accomplishments. Appendixes include correspondence, a listing of national organizations interested in education-community partnerships, and an annotated bibliography. [More] Descriptors: Cooperative Programs, Inservice Teacher Education, Program Development, School Business Relationship
(1985). Contributions toward a Conceptual Framework for Social Impact Assessment in Semi-Arid Lands of the Western United States. This paper reviews empirical findings from recent social impact assessments (SIAs) conducted in Arizona, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming where energy development occurred in the 1970s and points out efficient research strategies for policy decisions. Topics covered by the SIAs include characteristics of itinerant workers, attitudes of oldtimers/newcomers toward development, and effects of development on local economies, small businesses, financial institutions, community services, social well-being and social and political structures. Ecological, ethnic, and historical characteristics of the western energy states are reviewed and the energy boom of the 1970s is shown to be consistent with the region's historical boom-bust pattern. Identified as research needs are comparative community studies clarifying why development inputs have different effects from community to community, time-series community data to explain the process of social organization/disorganization, and methodologically appropriate analyses addressing changes in individual and community well-being. Other recommendations include the recognition of a sociology of arid/semi-arid regions and the need for research to be thoroughly grounded in historical patterns of social organization and physical and cultural characteristics of the region. Studies are suggested to identify and measure key social elements and to investigate the social welfare of itinerant workers. Descriptors: Community Change, Economic Change, Economic Development, Migrants
(1986). Whole Language in the Elementary ESL Classroom. The whole language approach to literacy, which has been highly promoted in the Albuquerque (New Mexico) public schools, is based on recent psycholinguistic research on the reading process, and it views learning to read as a developmental process moving from the whole to the parts. It is done in an encouraging, positive environment that is as risk-free as possible, where children are asked to use their background and experience and be active partners in the process. Many similarities exist between the whole language approach and the teaching of English as a second language (ESL), where the four language skills are taught as an integrated whole. In both, the teacher's role includes facilitating and modeling language use and creating an environment where it is almost impossible not to learn. An elementary school ESL program has incorporated the whole language approach into a variety of ESL activities, including: the morning message on the board that can contain almost anything and serves as a vehicle for reacting, discussion, and other group activities; squiggle writing, in which students are given written squiggles from which they develop a picture and story; and use of resource materials for students to do research on a given topic that is also incorporated into other class activities. The techniques have proven successful and may suit some instructional styles and situations. Descriptors: Class Activities, Classroom Communication, Classroom Environment, Classroom Techniques
(1985). Ways to Improve Schools and Education through Education-Community Partnerships. Executive Summary of the Final Report. The Ways to Improve Schools and Education (WISE) Project sought to enhance school productivity by more effective use of community resources. WISE worked with three sites: Albuquerque, New Mexico; Austin, Texas; and Oklahoma City, in 1983-84. In 1985, three more sites were added: Little Rock, Arkansas; Jackson, Mississippi; and New Orleans, Louisiana. At each site a Liaison Team (LT) was organized consisting of representatives from the school district, a collaborating business or chamber of commerce, an institution of higher education; the state education agency, and the Southwest Educational Laboratory. Project WISE accomplished the following: (1) assisted with the establishment and implementation of collaborative activities at the six sites; (2) interacted with other partnerships in the United States; (3) reviewed pertinent literature; (4) shared information among its sites; and (5) conducted working conferences of its LTs. Project WISE and its LTs produced Models and Guidelines for Partnerships in Education. These operational Models and Guidelines are experience-based, research-based, and operational in translating research into practice. [More] Descriptors: Cooperative Programs, Inservice Teacher Education, Program Development, Program Effectiveness
(1986). The Effect of Logo on Young Children. This study was conducted to determine whether young children, given the experience of Logo programming, would acquire problem-solving skills and be able to transfer those skills to other areas. The study also investigated Logo's effectiveness in teaching certain fundamental geometric concepts to children who were supposedly not developmentally ready for such materials. Subjects included 25 second grade students from a public elementary school in New Mexico. Treatment consisted of each child receiving approximately 1 hour of Terrapin Logo programming on an Apple microcomputer each week for three weeks. The structure of the programming experience was based on a guided discovery approach; participants were allowed much freedom in their programming choices, yet they were motivated to pursue formal stage thought patterns using a carefully planned positive reinforcement technique. A problem solving measure and a geometric paper-and-pencil test were administered in a pretest-posttest design to the experimental group and to another second grade class in the same district which did not receive any Logo experience. The experimental group showed statistically significant results on both measures, while the control group showed no significant change on either. A list of references, one data table, and two appendices containing sample instructional materials and tests are provided. Descriptors: Computer Assisted Instruction, Computer Graphics, Geometry, Grade 2
(1985). Title IV-A Indian Education Program Evaluation, 1984-85. The Title IV-A Indian Education Program in Albuquerque, New Mexico, public schools met program objectives despite funding decreases, personnel cuts, and increased requests for remedial tutoring. Two tutors, a volunteer, and a counselor tutored 35 middle and high school students from the Navajo community of Canoncito to improve/maintain academic performance as measured by subject grades and teacher ratings of student progress. Although only 36% of grades remained the same/improved, teachers reported that 58% to 89% of the students improved in school-related skills. Four tutors and a counselor tutored 78 middle and high school students from Isleta Pueblo to improve academic performance. Fifty-five percent of tutored students' grades remained at passing level/improved. Teachers indicated 79% to 96% of the students made progress in school-related skills, attitudes, and behaviors. In the urban component, 49 tutors and support staff provided services to 735 grade K-12 students. Program objectives included improved academic performance and school-related skills as measured by Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills subtests, grades, and teacher ratings of student progress. Elementary students met objectives in eight of the nine areas evaluated; high school students met objectives in six of the nine areas. The report includes recommendations for program improvement. Seven tables further describe program results. Descriptors: Academic Achievement, American Indian Education, American Indians, Cognitive Processes
(1986). CAI: A Model for the Comparison and Selection of Integrated Learning Systems in Large School Districts. The Albuquerque (New Mexico) Public Schools conducted a three-year study of integrated computer-based learning systems, including WICAT, Dolphin, PLATO, CCC, and DEGEM. Through cooperation with the Education Consolidation Improvement Act Chapter 1 program, four large integrated learning systems (ILS) were purchased and studied. They were installed and implemented in 1984. Due to budget constraints, the PLATO program was dropped from the study. The DEGEM system will be evaluated during the second year of the project and is not included here. The primary application of the ILS was to provide Chapter 1 students with supplemental instruction in reading, language arts, and mathematics through computer assisted instruction (CAI). The evaluation compared the four systems' effectiveness. Aspects of the evaluation included the match between ILS, curriculum content, and standardized achievement test content; instructional and technical characteristics; documentation; management systems; diagnostic placement; programming; staffing and training; cost effectiveness; and student and teacher perceptions of value. Results indicated the CAI programs were under-utilized during their first year, largely due to staffing patterns. Mathematics impact was generally greater than reading. The importance of a full-time laboratory operator was repeatedly noted. [More] Descriptors: Achievement Gains, Comparative Analysis, Computer Assisted Instruction, Computer Literacy