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Before joining OERI, Robinson was director of the National Education Association's National Center for Innovation, NEA's research and development unit. She also directed the Center's Teacher Education Initiative.
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Robinson earned a doctorate from the University of Kentucky in educational administration in 1979. Besides NEA, she belongs to a number of professional associations, including the Association of Teacher Educators, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and the American Educational Research Association.
But she sometimes found it "laborious" to grasp and discuss the research. Not only were the standards and language of the research world new to her, so were its collaborative aspects. "I was never part of a culture of collaboration before, where people organize their approach to a problem together. Nothing is more stimulating," she says, "but it is not part of a teacher's experience."
As her confidence grew with her knowledge of research, she became eager to introduce effective reforms in her classroom the next fall. Her only question was how. "The inventiveness that you want to see in children-how can you bring that into the classroom?" Bill asked herself.
She worked closely with Resnick and NRCSL on designing the reforms she would adopt. In September she began to change the way she taught mathematics. She introduced more manipulatives and created opportunities for children to count, sort, match, and regroup objects as they explored numbers and amounts. She designed lessons that were sequenced so that students could make discoveries. But her first efforts "were still pretty much teacher-guided. I was still telling my students what I wanted them to know, rather than helping them find it for themselves."
As Bill cautiously changed her way of teaching, she and Resnick developed a set of teaching principles (see box). By December Bill felt her knowledge of research start to fall into place beside her classroom expertise. Her incorporation of these principles revamped her instruction and took her far beyond her initially cautious reforms. She did not, however, lose her concern for orderly routines. "I had to tighten my routines," she says. "I developed specific rules for manipulatives. Every move was efficient. Those things make or break your teaching, no matter how innovative it might be."
Children's confidence and enthusiasm also rose to unprecedented levels. Students turned in their homework without prodding, often asked for extra math time, showed off proudly for visitors, and brought problems from home.
Bill's reforms, now in their sixth year of refinement, are being disseminated to more than 40 other teachers and represent a new theoretical direction in thinking about the nature of development, learning, and schooling.
Bill, with her knowledge of two worlds, is a model for the other teachers. "They think `if she can do that with her kids, who have never performed well before, I can certainly do it with mine,'" Bill says. Together, she and Resnick have demonstrated a way of turning theory into practice without denying concerns of teachers or researchers.
Bill's and Resnick's study, Thinking in Arithmetic Class, is available for $3.50 from the NRCSL, Publications Office, 3939 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
The study is also included in a new OERI report. Toward a New Science of Instruction reports on a 5-year program of research by NRCSL. The report probes the nature of learning and instruction and how schools can prepare all students for life's challenges.
Highlights include: how learners acquire understanding in mathematics, science, and social science; how teachers impart information in these subjects; what it means to learn from texts and where and why a reader's comprehension may break down; what makes counting easy, but subtraction hard; whether learning in one science topic improves learning in another; and how learning is affected when students expect to defend their ideas to others who may disagree.
The report will be available later this summer. Write to OERI for ordering information.
When juniors at Fullerton Union High School arrived for U.S. history class last September, many found the traditional rows of student desks had given way to individual tables with computers and separate chairs that could be grouped to accommodate varied lessons. Their textbooks had been replaced by primary source documents, supplementary readings, and encyclopedia information provided via computer. And, the typical emphasis on recall of history facts had been supplanted by a new accent on thinking critically about issues.
These changes were the result of RSVP TECH: Restructuring Social Science Via Progressive Technology. Funded by OERI's Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching (FIRST) Program, RSVP TECH's primary goal is to enhance student achievement by restructuring the standard classroom learning environment and refocusing traditional teaching practices. An immediate outcome of this new approach is to make students more active participants in their own learning and to share responsibility for that learning. The program is one of several funded under a FIRST discretionary grant program that supports the improvement of educational opportunities for and performance of teachers and students.
Juniors participating in RSVP TECH did more than just read about the American Revolution. Student groups (Rebels, Loyalists, Indians, French, British, Blacks) debated the causes of the Revolutionary War. Student pairs played delegates at a convention and constructed their own constitution. Electronic mail enabled them to "send" their proposals to the teacher, who then merged, copied, and distributed them for use in debate. Role-playing, debate, and technology also enlivened study of the Jacksonian Era and the Civil War.
After only one semester, RSVP TECH achieved documented results. When compared with their control group peers, students in the program achieved higher objective test scores, higher essay test scores for historical content, and higher ratings in history interviews. When asked to compare this class with their other history classes, students responded that RSVP TECH is "a whole lot better learning experience," "the best one," "a great improvement," and "more interesting and different."
For more information on RSVP TECH, call Anne Fickling, 202-219-1496.
This is the message of a new report that summarizes the major recommendations from a study group convened by OERI to explore the task of preparing teachers to help students meet new standards in the core subjects.
The report addresses the kind of teaching needed to establish world class standards, problems that must be solved in educating teachers, changes needed in policies and practices to improve the education of teachers, and the probability of current reforms providing the needed improvements.
Copies of Achieving World Class Standards: The Challenge for Educating Teachers are available from the Government Printing Office for $4.25, stock #065-000-00557-3.
This dedicated senior citizen is part of California's successful Grandparents and Books Program (GAB) which trains adult volunteers to read to children in public libraries.
Sixty public libraries recently received $5,000 state formula grants from OERI to implement the program. Initiated through a Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) grant in 1988 at the Los Angeles Public Library, the program has grown to include more than 185 libraries in California.
There are several reasons for its popularity. It reaches out to populations that are often underserved. It is not uncommon for librarians to announce that "Grandpa Jose will read in Spanish on Tuesday," or to recruit volunteers from such groups as the Black Women's Business Association or the Korean Culture Center.
Latchkey children are also attracted to the program, which offers them a pleasant interlude with a reliable caring adult, away from the perils of the street. The surrogate grandparents enjoy the program too, reporting it brings joy to their lives.
The program also helps libraries address the National Education Goals. By fostering a love of literature early in life, GAB contributes towards school readiness; by attracting underserved populations, it promotes overall literacy and multicultural pride.
For information about LSCA state formula grants, contact Formula Library Programs at 202-219-1303 at OERI. For information about the Grandparents and Books program, contact Bessie Condos Egan, Library Development Services, California State Library, 1001 Sixth Street, Suite 300, Sacramento, CA 95814-3324; 916-322-0375.
NCES questionnaires undergo extensive development and validation. All are reviewed and revised by panels of internal and external substantive and design experts. And, NCES has ongoing evaluation studies that strive constantly to improve the validity and reliability of its questionnaire items. Many don't realize that all of the work that has been done on these questionnaires is available to other researchers--free of charge. The questionnaires used, for example, for the Schools and Staffing Survey, the National Education Longitudinal Survey of 1988, the National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty, and many other NCES studies, are in the public domain. This means that they may be copied, modified, used in whole or in part, for free and without asking permission or getting any authorization from NCES.
States and school districts may use NCES questionnaires to conduct special studies of their own schools and students or to get estimates that can be compared to NCES results. Users should be aware, however, that NCES extensively processes the data for its surveys after it is collected. This processing, which includes editing for imputation and consistency, means that locally collected data may not be strictly comparable to NCES results. To obtain questionnaires for the study that you are interested in, contact the appropriate office listed under NCES in the phone list.
NCES provides another service through its National Data Resource Center (NDRC). It was established to enable state and local education personnel, researchers, and others to request special statistical tabulations and analyses from any of NCES' data sets. Again, this service is free.
Researchers and others also may work on-site directly with confidential data files. The Data Center developed strict procedures, including computerized tests, to ensure that individuals in surveys cannot be identified from NCES data files. Users may come to the Data Center, or have the information sent to them via modem, fax, or mail. Information also can be sent in hard copy or on diskette. Those who work on-site and request access to restricted data files are required to take a pledge of confidentiality. The normal turn-around time to respond to a request is four to six working days, depending on the complexity of the request.
For more information about the NDRC, write Jerry Malitz at NCES, 555 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20208-5651; or call 202-219-1364 (fax: 202-219-1728).
One of the objectives of the Educational Partnerships Program, an OERI discretionary grant program, is to encourage school districts to form alliances with the private sector in order to retain students in a school setting, and at the same time prepare them for responsible citizenship. The most recent series of grants focused on educational improvement through systemic reform as well.
Currently, 30 grants have been awarded to programs in 20 states. The four-year grants are coupled with funds from the school district and private sector. Each succeeding year, the federal money decreases as local support increases. This opens windows of opportunities for students to experience career choices and to work in the private sector. Students soon realize how important an education is and often show improved subject knowledge and study habits.
One of the funded projects, the Anchorage (AK) Vocational Academic Institute of Learning (AVAIL), works with teenagers, many of them homeless, whose perceptions of school have soured and who have dropped out. The partnership operates a high school out of two storefronts, donated by a local mall, where self-esteem, computer-assisted academic skills, and employability and daily living skills are taught. A fast food chain pays the utilities and provides job opportunities; a supermarket chain supplies food and job opportunities; a bank provides job training; a shelter supplies housing and clothing for homeless students; the health department provides health examinations; a foundation provides funds for software and supplies; and the school district supplies staff and issues diplomas to qualified students. The partnership has even brought in foster grandparents from the community to tutor.
The partnership was developed through the concerns of local business people, the Municipality of Anchorage Department of Health and Social Services, and nonprofit organizations. It is administered by the Anchorage School District.
For more information about the Educational Partnerships Program, contact Sue Gruskin, 202-219-2116.
The 1990 sophomore class was about a fifth smaller in size and had more minority and poverty students than the 1980 class. But only 8 percent were in vocational education programs, compared to 21 percent 10 years before, and 41 percent were in college preparatory programs, up from 33 percent in 1980. The disparity between blacks and whites in college prep programs virtually disappeared by 1990-41 percent of blacks compared to 42 percent of whites (as opposed to 27 and 35 percent respectively in 1980). The number of sophomores feeling unsafe in schools decreased from 12 percent in 1980 to 8 percent in 1990. However, low socioeconomic status 1990 tenth graders were twice as likely as high SES tenth graders to feel unsafe at school (11 percent vs. 5 percent), and public school students were twice as likely to feel unsafe as Catholic school students (9 percent vs. 4 percent).
Sophomore mathematics achievement improved significantly between 1980 and 1990, with virtually all demographic groups gaining. In fact, blacks and Hispanics closed some of the previous gap by making proportionately greater gains than their white or Asian counterparts. There were equal growth rates between males and females and between students attending public and Catholic schools.
One of the similarities between the 1980 and 1990 sophomores was that only 41 percent of both groups read for pleasure at least once or twice a week. While more 1990 tenth graders belonged to academic clubs (31 percent up from 26 percent), fewer belonged to hobby clubs, such as photography, crafts, or chess (7 percent vs. 21 percent in 1980), and participation in musical activities dropped to 22 percent from 31 percent.
The proportion of sophomores who felt good about themselves increased from 30 to 35 percent. Large majorities of both groups affirmed the following values: success in work, marriage, friendship, steady work, giving one's children better opportunities, and having leisure time. However, marriage and family were very important to 83 percent of 1980 sophomores but to only 72 percent of 1990 sophomores-who rated work and friendship more important. Making money gained from 35 to 44 percent as very important, and the importance of correcting inequalities increased from 14 to 19 percent.
Finally, 60 percent of 1990 tenth graders expected to get a college or postgraduate degree, up from 40 percent in 1980, and they also got significantly more encouragement to attend college from their parents, their teachers, and their guidance counselors.
These data are reported in America's High School Sophomores: A 10 Year Comparison, 1980-1990. Copies are available from the Government Printing Office for $7.50, stock #065-000-00572-7. For more information on the data, call Shi-Chang Wu, at 202-219-1425.
To help more communities integrate these services, OERI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have developed a practical guide on how to create interagency collaborative initiatives. The guide leads the reader through a five-stage process, from involving the right people to designing a fiscal strategy. It includes vignettes, four case studies, milestones and landmines, checklists, and directories of resources.
It encourages a holistic approach in treating the problems of children and families; easy access to comprehensive services; early detection of problems and preventive health care services; and flexibility in the use of federal and state funds for education, health, and human services.
The book also highlights states and communities that already have adopted collaborative systems of service delivery. New Jersey, for instance, has taken human services into the schools with gratifying results. Suspension rates have declined, school climate has improved, and teachers and staff say the program helps them do their jobs better. Based on the New Jersey experience, Kentucky and Iowa have made similar changes in how they assist those who need comprehensive services.
Together We Can: A Guide for Creating a Profamily System of Education and Human Services is available from the Government Printing Office for $11; ask for stock #065-000-0563-8.
For further information about the clearinghouses, contact the ERIC program at 202-219-2289.
A new 2-page report from NCES examines data from its Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) to determine whether teacher salaries have increased or decreased, how they compare with salaries in other entry-level occupations, and how they vary within and across school districts in the nation. The report focuses on salaries for school years 1987-88 and 1990-91.
It concludes that teacher salaries are important indicators of the relative economic well-being of teachers and of general teacher supply and demand conditions in the country. It also found that teacher salaries kept pace with the increase in the cost of living. While teachers may find higher salaries in certain regions of the country and in the larger school districts, entry-level teacher salaries are not competitive with salariespaid in other entry-level professions.
Copies of the NCES Issue Brief: Teacher Salaries--Are They Competitive? are free from OERI; ask for NCES 93-450.
Aimed at parents of children up to age 13, the books give some background on the subject, have fun activities that can be done using items from around the house, and list resources to continue the fun. The series includes:
Helping Your Child Get Ready for School
CIC, 477Z, 50›
Helping Your Child Learn Geography
CIC, 414Z, 50›
Ayudando a su hijo aprender la geografia
Free, call 1-800-USA-MAPS
Helping Your Child Learn History
CIC, 487Z, 50›
Helping Your Child Learn Math
Single copies, CIC, 612Z, Free Bulk, call 1-800-334-3284, order code
31452-8
Helping Your Child Learn Science
Single copies, CIC, 143Z, $3.25 Bulk, GPO, #065-000-00520-4, $36 for
50 copies
Como ayudar a sus hijos a aprender ciencia
Single copies free from OERI Bulk, GPO, #065-000-00521-1, $36 for 50
copies
Helping Your Child Learn to Read
CIC, 617Z, Free (2 copies maximum)
Helping Your Child Succeed in School
CIC, 478Z, 50›
Helping Your Child Use the Library
CIC, 415Z, 50›
Como ayudar a sus hijos a usar la biblioteca
Free from OERI, LP 92-4789
The books are all in the public domain and may be reprinted or photocopied in whole or in part without further permission. See HOW TO ORDER.
The fellowship awards will fund 159 master's, 17 post-master's, and 122 doctoral fellowships at 47 colleges and universities throughout the country. The majority of master's and post-master's fellowships will prepare outstanding students to provide library services for youth; doctoral fellowships will prepare candidates to teach in some area of library and information science or to engage in library planning, evaluation, and research. The institutes will provide training in areas where there are shortages (such as youth services, science reference, school media, and cataloging) and in serving the needs of the elderly, illiterate, and disadvantaged, as well as rural areas. New information technologies will be an important feature of many of the institutes.
Institutions receiving the grants select the participants. Thus, anyone interested in the fellowships or institutes should apply directly to the grantee institutions. For a list of grantees, send a postcard to Library Programs/Library Discretionary Grants Division, 555 New Jersey Avenue NW, Room 404, Washington, DC 20208.
*CHARACTERISTICS OF THE 100 LARGEST PUBLIC ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE UNITED STATES: 1990-91
It contains information on the average and median school size, pupil-teacher ratios, number of high school graduates, numbers of pupils receiving special education services, and minority enrollment as a proportion of total enrollment. $3.25 from GPO; #065-000-00562-0.
EDUCATION CONSUMER GUIDE--NUMBER 4: SCHOOL-BASED MANAGEMENT discusses a management strategy that gives principals, teachers, students, and parents greater control over the education process by giving them responsibility for decisions about the budget, personnel, and the curriculum. Free from OERI; OR ECG-4.
Education Research Reports:
WHAT'S WRONG WITH WRITING AND WHAT CAN WE DO RIGHT NOW? discusses 1990 NAEP data on the writing achievement of 11th grade students and recommends way to improve writing skills. Free from OERI; OR 93-3076;
WHO RUNS THE SCHOOLS? THE TEACHER'S VIEW discusses how much influence teachers believe they have over selected areas of school policy and classroom planning and teaching. Free from OERI; OR 93-3077;
WHO RUNS THE SCHOOLS? THE PRINCIPAL'S VIEW discusses how much influence principals believe they have on establishing curriculum, hiring new full-time teachers, and setting discipline policy. Free from OERI; OR 93-3078.
IMPROVING MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHING is a summary of the Secretary's Second Conference on Mathematics and Science and suggests four steps to improve the way these subjects are taught. $1.75 from GPO; #065-000-00553-1.
*INTERPRETING NAEP SCALES discusses a variety of ways that have been, or could be, used to interpret the scales used in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Free from OERI.
*NCES ISSUE BRIEF: TEACHER SALARIES--ARE THEY COMPETITIVE? See Teacher Salaries. Free from OERI; NCES 93-450.
*OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN: ISSUES OF EQUITY FOR POOR AND MINORITY STUDENTS discusses equity issues for students who are at risk of not developing to their fullest academic potential. Free from OERI; NCES 93-232.
*PRIVATE SCHOOL UNIVERSE SURVEY, 1989-90 presents data on schools with grades kindergarten through twelve by school size, school level, religious orientation, geographical region, and program emphasis. $4 from GPO; #065-000-00550-6.
*PROFILE OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN'S CHILD CARE AND EARLY EDUCATION PROGRAM PARTICIPATION examines the regular care and education preschool children receive from persons other than their parents. $3.25 from GPO; #065-000-00554-9.
*PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION STATISTICS: SCHOOL YEAR 1992-93 contains estimates of the number of student membership, teachers, and high school graduates for public and private elementary and secondary schools, and total revenues and expenditures for the operation of public elementary and secondary schools. Free from OERI; NCES 93-332.
REACHING THE GOALS: GOAL 6, DISCIPLINED AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS describes what research tells us about strategies to attain this goal and the limits of that knowledge. It examines disciplined school environments, drugs and schools, and violence in the schools. $2.25 from GPO; #065-000-00555-7.
SUMMER CHALLENGE describes model summer programs for disadvantaged children, offers ideas for designing such programs, and contains information from research and practice on what makes an effective summer program. $6 from GPO; #065-000-00570-1.
TOGETHER WE CAN: A GUIDE FOR CRAFTING A PROFAMILY SYSTEM OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES; See Helping At Risk Youth. $11 from GPO; #065-000-00563-8.
USTED PUEDE AYUDAR A SUS HIJOS A APRENDER MATEMATICAS is a Spanish translation of You Can Help Your Young Child Learn Mathematics, a publication for parents. Free from OERI; OAS 93-6015.
ACHIEVING WORLD CLASS STANDARDS: THE CHALLENGE FOR EDUCATING TEACHERS; $4.25 from GPO; #065-000-00557-3.
*CURRENT FUNDS REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION: FISCAL YEARS 1983 THROUGH 1991 presents revenue and expenditure data of the nation's accredited institutions of higher education over the 9-year period from fiscal year 1983 through fiscal year 1991. Free from OERI; NCES 92-323.
*KEY STATISTICS ON THE NONCOLLEGIATE SECTOR OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION contains data on enrollment and completions in noncollegiate postsecondary institutions in the United States and its outlying areas with tables of national estimates for enrollment and completions based on sample data. $1.75 from GPO; #065-000-00510-7.
*NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF COLLEGE STUDENT LEARNING: GETTING STARTED discusses issues raised at a workshop NCES sponsored as part of its efforts to develop a process to assess college student learning. $12 from GPO; #065-000-00566-2.
*OCCUPATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES OF RECENT COLLEGE GRADUATES 1 YEAR AFTER GRADUATION: 1991 examines the status of 1989-90 bachelor's degree recipients a year after graduation. It includes types of employment and unemployment, enrollment in further education, average salaries, occupation and salaries by gender, relationship of job to major field of study, and career potential of job. Free from OERI; 93-162.
*PROFILE OF UNDERGRADUATES IN U.S. POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: 1989-90 describes the social and economic backgrounds of these students. Free from OERI; NCES 93-091.
*QUALITY OF RESPONSES IN THE 1987 NATIONAL POSTSECONDARY STUDENT AID STUDY compares responses to similar items asked in the survey between students and institutions, parents and institutions, and parents and students. Free from OERI; NCES 93-446.
*STATE HIGHER EDUCATION PROFILES (SHEP), COMBINED FIFTH AND SIXTH EDITIONS, FISCAL YEARS 1989 AND 1990 contains 12 basic tables for FY 89 and 13 tables for FY 90 which cover higher education enrollment, full-time faculty, revenues, expenditures, financial aid, and degrees and other formal awards conferred. $38 from GPO; #065-000-00564-6.
*TRENDS IN ENROLLMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION BY RACIAL/ETHNIC CATEGORY: FALL 1982 THROUGH FALL 1991 presents findings from two institution-based postsecondary education fall enrollment surveys. Free from OERI; NCES 93-448.
*PROGRAMS AND PLANS describes the National Center for Education Statistics' current programs, its future plans, and its major publications. In addition, it focuses on some of the Center's new and innovative work. Free from OERI; NCES 93-241.
*PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN THE UNITED STATES: 1991 includes 33 tables with state-by-state and national totals on reference transactions, circulation, staffing, income and expenditures, interlibrary loans, size of collection, and more. $7.50 from GPO; #065-000-00561-1.
SUMMARY PROCEEDINGS OF THE DESIGN CONFERENCE FOR THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION summarizes a conference OERI sponsored to assist in the design of an assessment mandated by Congress. $4.25 from GPO; #065-000-00516-6. Papers Presented at the Design Conference for the National Assessment of Vocational Education are also available; $15 from GPO; #065-000-00515-8.
THEMES AND DIRECTIONS OF THE NATIONAL READING RESEARCH CENTER describes the center, its mission, research programs, collaborations, forthcoming products, publications, and activities. Free from OERI; OR 93-3230.
Teachers' educational backgrounds, experiences, and opinions about their field are just some of the data included in this new report. Other topics include teacher supply and demand, instructional practices, and potential trends in the teacher workforce by the year 2000. Each chapter has graphs and tables that present and compare data from each state and show the differences and similarities in teachers, both in public and private education. $13 from GPO; #065- 000-00567-1.
*NAEP 1992 MATHEMATICS REPORT CARD FOR THE NATION AND THE STATES
This most recent NAEP report presents the 4th, 8th and 12th grade national results and 4th and 8th grade results for 44 states and territories that participated in the 1992 National Assessment of Educational Progress. It also includes 1990 comparative data for the nation and for the 37 states and territories that participated in both 1990 and 1992. Both national and state results show an improvement over the 2-year period. (Additional 1992 NAEP reports will be released this fall.) $22 from GPO; #065-000-00559-0. An Executive Summary is available for $2.25 from GPO; #065-000-00558-1.
To determine where to send your order, look at the acronym listed at the end of the publication description. The publications listed in this issue are available from:
OERI, Dept. EIB, 555 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20208- 5641;
GPO, Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954. Order Desk: 202-783-3238;
CIC, Consumer Information Center, Pueblo, CO 81009.
Be sure to include the complete title and order number for each publication you order. The order number is the series of numbers listed at the end of the publication description. If you want publications from different offices, you must place SEPARATE orders.
All information regarding deadlines for competitions is tentative and should be verified with the contact given below or through the Federal Register or Commerce Business Daily. Grant competitions reference the appropriate Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers.
July 1 The national committee developing voluntary national
standards in the arts will meet in Reston, VA, to
review the final draft of the standards. Eleanor
Dougherty, 219-1496.
July 15 Draft copies of the national standards in the arts
will be available for public review. Eleanor
Dougherty, 219-1496.
July 24-25 The national board developing voluntary national
English Language Arts standards will meet in Snowbird,
UT. Eleanor Dougherty, 219-1496.
July 26-28 The National Forum on Education Statistics will meet
in Washington, DC. Lee Hoffman, 219-1595.
July 28-30 A National Education Data Conference will be held in
Washington, DC. Lee Hoffman, 219-1595.
August 5-7 The National Assessment Governing Board will hold its
quarterly meeting in Tysons Corner, VA. Maureen
Treacy, 219-1739.
August 10 A combined Application Notice announcing new federal
(Tentative) Library Discretionary Grant Competitions during FY 94
is scheduled to appear in the Federal Register. Louise
Sutherland, 219-1315.
August 16-19 The K-12 writing task force developing voluntary
national standards in foreign languages will meet in
conjunction with the American Council of Teachers of
Foreign Languages Summer Seminar in Falmouth, MA.
Anne Fickling, 219-1496.
September 8 NCES will release results from the National Adult
Literacy Survey in Washington, DC. The survey examines
the prose, document, and quantitative literacy of
America's adults. Suellen Mauchamer, 219-1329.
September 17 The K-12 writing task force developing voluntary
national standards in foreign languages will meet in
Chicago. Anne Fickling, 219-1496.
September The Secretary's Conference on Assessment in
20-21 Mathematics and Science Education will be in
Washington, DC. Joyce Stern, 219-2095.
October The award ceremony for the 1992-93 Secondary Blue
(Tentative) Ribbon Schools winners will be held in Washington, DC.
Steve O'Brien, 219-2141.
The 1990 High School Transcript Study contains restricted use data on the link between high school student course-taking patterns and results of 12th graders on the 1990 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The data tape includes statistical information on current course offerings and student course-taking patterns in public and private high schools. NCES 93-117a.
Financial Statistics of Institutions of Higher Education, FY 1991 is an imputed tape for the FY 91 survey of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). It contains detailed information on current funds revenues, current funds expenditures, and scholarships/fellowships expenditures of institutions in operation in FY 91. NCES 93-325.
NELS:88 First Follow-Up 1990: School Survey contains school survey data collected as part of the 1990 first followup of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). The data provide information about the characteristics of the schools attended by 17,633 participating first follow-up students. The data file is intended to provide contextual data on the school environment for individual students. NCES 92-084a.
NELS:88 First Follow-Up, 1990: Dropout and Teacher Data Components contain various data collected from dropouts and teachers. Dropout data were collected from 1,043 students who left school between the 8th and 10th grades. The teacher data include information about the learning performance of NELS:88 students, characteristics of the teachers' classes, their own background characteristics, and their assessments of school climate in the NELS:88 school. NCES 92-085a.
Public Elementary and Secondary School Revenues and Current Expenditures: Fiscal Years 1989-1990, 1990-1991 contains the Common Core of Data on fiscal information on public elementary and secondary schools reported by the 50 states, DC, and the outlying areas. NCES 92-150.
National Diffusion Network (NDN) Developer Demonstrator Program. Sixty-two FY 93 continuation grants of almost $4.6 million were awarded to institutions of higher education, local and state education agencies, and private nonprofit education organizations. Developer demonstrators provide training, curriculum materials, and follow-up assistance to those interested in NDN programs. PIP
NDN State Facilitator Awards. Four FY 93 awards totaling $323,313 were made to departments of education in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the Virgin Islands; 52 continuation grants totaling $6,272,036 were made for state facilitators in the 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. State facilitators serve as links within each state between NDN projects and teachers, administrators, parents, and others interested in adopting NDN projects. PIP
NDN Private School Facilitator. An FY 93 continuation grant of $248,500 was awarded to the Council for American Private Education, Washington, DC, to serve as a link between NDN projects and private school educators. PIP
NDN Dissemination Process Projects. FY 93 continuation grants totaling $222,549 were awarded to: National Geographic Society of Washington, DC,to help teachers in grades 4-12 increase their competency and confidence in teaching geography; and to National Faculty in Atlanta, GA, to strengthen the quality of instruction by encouraging professional growth and teacher knowledge. PIP
Library Career Training Awards. FY 93 grants totaling $3.8 million were awarded to 47 institutions of higher education to provide fellowships. LP
Improving Access to Research Library Resources. Thirty-four new FY 93 grants totaling $4,126,993 and 11 continuations of $1,594,971 were awarded to major research libraries to improve sharing resources that are unique, rare, or exclusively held and of interest to a national research audience. LP
Research Centers. FY 93 continuation grants were awarded to the University of Georgia ($1,488,000) for the National Reading Research Center, and to the University of Connecticut ($1,750,000) for the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. OR
OERI Fellows Program. Joan Spade of Lehigh University received an FY 93 grant of $34,460 for a 12-month fellowship during which she will analyze data comparing the effects of homogeneous and heterogeneous grouping patterns on the achievement, attitudes, and orientations of students in two middle schools with different grouping patterns. OR
Evaluation of Education Reform. Eleven contractors received FY 93 funds totaling $1,833,326 to continue conducting research on education reform in 11 different areas. OR
National Assessment of Vocational Education. An FY 93 contract of $183,000 was awarded to Conwal Inc., Falls Church, VA, to provide technical assistance for the National Assessment of Vocational Education. OR
Educational Partnerships Program. Under a combined FY 92-93 competition, 8 new grants were awarded: 4 in FY 92 totaling $1,313,270, and 4 in FY 93 totaling $1,075,042. The 8 grants create educational partnerships to improve education through systemic change. In addition, continuation grants were awarded: 21 in FY 92 for $2,622,110 and 23 in FY 93 for $2,774,180. An FY 92 contract of $243,065 was awarded to the Southwest Regional Laboratory to continue evaluating funded projects. PIP
Educational Resources Information Center Clearinghouses. Contracts totaling more than $3 million were awarded to operate 16 subject-specific ERIC clearinghouses. OR
OERI Assistant Secretary.............................219-1385
Fund for the Improvement & Reform of Schools and Teaching (FIRST)
Acting Director, Janice K. Anderson..................219-1496
Comprehensive School Health Education................219-1556
Eisenhower National Program..........................219-2187
FIRST Program........................................219-1496
Network for Drug-Free Colleges & Universities........219-1556
Secretary's Fund for Innovation in Education (FIE)...219-1496
LIBRARY PROGRAMS (LP)
Director, Ray Fry...................................219-2293
College Library Technology & Cooperation............219-1315
Education Research Library..........................219-1884
Foreign Language Materials..........................219-1315
Interlibrary Cooperation............................219-1303
Library Career Training.............................219-1315
Library Research....................................219-1315
Literacy Programs...................................219-1315
Public Library Construction & Technology
Enhancement....................................219-1303
Public Library Services.............................219-1303
Research Libraries..................................219-1315
Services to Indian Tribes...........................219-1315
OFFICE OF RESEARCH (OR)
Acting Director, Joseph Conaty......................219-2079
Education & Society.................................219-2223
Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC).....219-2088
Field-Initiated Studies.............................219-2223
Higher Education & Adult Learning...................219-2243
Learning & Instruction..............................219-2021
Schools & School Professionals......................219-2207
Research Centers (General)..........................219-2079
PROGRAMS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF PRACTICE (PIP)
Director, Eve Bither................................219-2164
Blue Ribbon Schools.................................219-2149
Education & Work....................................219-2093
Drug-Free School Recognition........................219-2134
Educational Partnerships............................219-2116
Gifted & Talented...................................219-2187
Leadership in Educational Administration
Development.....................................219-2116
Mid-Career Teacher Training.........................219-2187
National Diffusion Network..........................219-2134
Outreach Office.....................................219-1558
Rural Education.....................................219-2095
Regional Educational Laboratories...................219-2116
Star Schools........................................219-2116
Urban Superintendents' Network......................219-2116
NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS (NCES)
Commissioner, Emerson Elliott.......................219-1828
Common Core of Data.................................219-1611
Elementary/Secondary Surveys........................219-1614
High School & Beyond................................219-1774
Integrated Postsecondary Education
Data Survey.........................................219-1352
Longitudinal Survey.................................219-1737
National Assessment of Educational Progress.........219-1761
National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey...........219-1774
Postsecondary Surveys...............................219-1354
Schools & Staffing Survey...........................219-1325
TOLL-FREE NUMBERS
Information Office............................1-800-424-1616
Office in D.C...................................202-219-1513
provides information about OERI research, statistics, publications,
and data tapes.
ELECTRONIC BULLETIN
Board.........................................1-800-222-4922
Non-Toll-Free...................................202-219-1511
Provides the above information electronically. For technical
questions, call 219-1547.
ACCESS ERIC...................................1-800-LET-ERIC
Coordinates information in ERIC--the Educational Resources
Information Center--the world's largest education database.
Secretary of Education
Richard W. Riley
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
Sharon P. Robinson
OERI Bulletin
Editor: Kay McKinney
Design: Phil Carr
Contributors: Sharon Bobbitt, Tim Burr, Linda Darby, Barbara
Greenberg, Ellen Holland, Thelma Leenhouts, Margaret McNeely, Tim
McCarty, Kathryn Perkinson, Kathleen Price, Liz Torbert.
OERI is the primary research agency of the US Department of Education. The office funds research, library, and demonstration and school improvement programs; collects and analyzes statistics; reports on the condition of education; and disseminates information about education programs.
The Bulletin includes information about publications, data sets, and important events sponsored by OERI only. It is a public document and may be reproduced in part or in its entirety without permission. Please credit OERI.
To be added to the OERI Bulletin mailing list, send your name and address to: OERI Bulletin, Outreach Office, 555 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20208-5570.