Alarm Sounds at Teacher Schools

The Detroit Free Press (10/11/2009) reports on 2 (UDM and Marygrove) teacher education programs facing tough sanctions that could lead to their termination, primarily because of low pass rates on the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification. WSU student, faculty and staff access only.

High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 2007

This report builds upon a series of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports on high school dropout, completion, and graduation rates that began in 1988. The report includes discussions of many rates used to study how students complete or fail to complete high school. It presents estimates of rates for 2007 and provides data about trends in dropout and completion rates over the last three and a half decades (1972-2007) along with more recent estimates of on-time graduation.

Among findings in the report was that among reporting states in 2006, the averaged freshman graduation rate (AFGR) was 73.2 percent. The report also shows that students living in low-income families were approximately 10 times more likely to drop out of high school between 2006 and 2007 than were students living in high-income families. In October 2007, approximately 3.3 million civilian noninstitutionalized 16- through 24-year-olds were not enrolled in high school and had not earned a high school diploma or alternative credential.

PreK-3rd Research and Evaluation Small Grants Program

The Foundation for Child Development (FCD) announces a request for proposals for its PreK-3rd Research and Evaluation Small Grants Program. A maximum of two awards of up to $50,000 each will be awarded to researchers proposing to use one or more datasets from the PreK-3rd Data Resource Center. The deadline for proposals is November 2, 2009.

The goal of this project is to inform the Foundation for Child Development's PreK-3rd initiative and build the research field by facilitating the analysis of rich, complex, longitudinal datasets that contain a wide range of variables on the child, family, school, and neighborhood. The Web site disseminates datasets and user guides developed to provide researchers with detailed guidance in creating their own extract datasets.

IES Releases new report Achievement Gaps

Achievement Gaps: How Black and White Students in Public Schools Perform in Mathematics and Reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) provides detailed information on the size of the achievement gaps between Black and White students at both the national and state level and how those achievement gaps have changed over time. Most of the data in this report is derived from the results of the 2007 main NAEP assessments, and is supplemented with data from the long-term trend assessments.
.
The site also has a State Comparison Tool.

View the webcast of the 7/14 press release

(Source: IES Newsflash)

New Report Released: America's Children: Key national Indicators of Well-Being 2009

The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics has released America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2009.  This report continues a series of annual reports to the Nation on conditions affecting children in the United States.  Indicators are supplied by NCES, IES and 21 other federal agencies.

Items of note from the report's section on education

• Performance of 4th and 8th graders in mathematics is at an all time high and performance in reading improved between 2005 and 2007. 
  
• The percentage of children ages 3-5 who were read to every day in the last week by a family member declined, from 60 percent in 2005, to 55 percent in 2007. 
  

The report has three demographic background measures and 40 selected indicators to describe the population of children and depict child well-being in the areas of family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health. This year's report has a special feature on children with special health care needs. (From the IES Newsflash Service)

New Multicultural Databases at the libraries

See our 3 most recently added library databases: African American Experience, Latino American Experience and American Indian Experience. Each of these has an Education category which covers topics like access to education, discrimination and topics specific to the experience of the group like Brown v. Board of Education, Bilingual Education and Linguistic Genocide. The databases also include access to primary resources, topic guides and K-12 lesson plans which may be used to our TED students.

To access the databases, go to the library homepage and click on Article Databases. You can type in the name of the database, or select the beginning letter of the database name to select and access from the alphabetical list.

To directly access the databases, use the following links:
African American Experience http://elibrary.wayne.edu/record=e1000738~S47
Latino American Experience http://elibrary.wayne.edu/record=e1000770~S47
American Indian Experience http://elibrary.wayne.edu/record=e1000769~S47

Remember that you can directly link these databases in your course Blackboard or website by using the direct links provided above.

2008 Arts Report Card

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has released the results of the national arts assessment, the 2008 Arts Report Card

The assessment is a nationally representative sample of approximately 7,900 eighth-grade students from about 260 public and private schools. Approximately one-half of these students were assessed in music, and the other half were assessed in visual arts.

From the IES Newsflash Subscription Service

WSU Library News Spring 2009

Here is the WSU Library News from Spring 2009, with live links

Nation's Report Card

The 2008 Long-Term Trend Report Card was released on April 28, 2009. The Nation's Report Card site you can access reports for economics, U.S. History, reading and other curricular areas, watch webcasts and access data tools.

Indicators of School Crime and Safety 2008

NCES has released the report Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2008.A joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and NCES, this annual report examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. Data on crime away from school are also presented to place school crime in the context of crime in the larger society. (Source: IES Newsflash 4/21/2009)

New version of NAEP Data Explorer released!

The new NAEP Data Explorer (NDE) takes advantage of the latest internet technology to present users with a friendlier interface, enhanced analysis selections, and improved reporting options. NDE users will find powerful graphing capabilities, achievement levels as variables or statistics, new Large Central City and National Private jurisdictions, and the option to perform gap analysis on any combination of variables, years, or jurisdictions.

The new NDE will also improve the way in which the user is able to interact with the reports he has created, customizing them and exporting them beyond the NDE application into a variety of formats, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PDF, and HTML. (IES Newsflash 4/9/2009)

NCES updates the Career/Technical Education (CTE) Statistics

The CTES website includes tables describing career/technical education (CTE) at three levels: 1) secondary/high school CTE, 2) postsecondary/college career education, and 3) adult education for work. These tables are updated periodically to incorporate new CTE-related topics and data from new surveys. In this update, two sets of tables were added to the postsecondary/college career education tables:  1) a set of 21 tables with state-level information on institutional offerings and credentials awarded in CTE, and 2)  a set of 7 tables describing CTE students' enrollment characteristics, for the 12 states that were oversampled in the 2003-04 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study. (IES Newsflash 4/8/2009)

NAEP Presentations at the 2009 AERA/NCME Meetings April 12–17, San Diego, California

NCES has a listing of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) related professional development training sessions that will be offered at the AERA conference in San Diego.

2008 Digest of Education Statistics

The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "Digest of Education Statistics, 2008." The Digest's primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. The Digest contains data on a variety of topics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to educational attainment, finances, and federal funds for education, libraries, and international comparisons. IES Newsflash 3/18/2009

Michigan Online Resources for Educators Debuts!

The Library of Michigan, the Michigan Department of Education and Wayne State University today announced the official launch the Michigan Online Resources for Educators (MORE), a growing Web-based collection of thousands of high-quality, digitally available information resources that are aligned with State of Michigan grade-level and high school content expectations.

MORE contents are culled from well-known education resources like ThinkFinity and include lesson plans, curriculum guides, interactive games and Web sites, career-development guides, parenting information and much more.

Each MORE category includes links to sub-categories that distill the resources down to individual teaching concepts. For example, within the English Language Arts section, users can choose from sub-topics like American Literature, Debate, Expository Writing, Listening Comprehension or Speech, and then dig deeper into lesson plans and creative teaching aids like ABCs of the Writing Process and the Linguistic Lesson Plans Database.

Helping Michigan educators even further, many of the resources available within MORE are already aligned with the State of Michigan’s grade-level content expectations (GLCEs) and high school content expectations (HSCEs), and additional resources are on track for alignment. This alignment is not done by machines but by Michigan educators working in their content areas. Flanagan applauded the efforts that have made MORE a reality.

Seeking to keep educators firmly a part of the GLCE and HSCE alignment process, the MORE partners will hold spring and summer alignment workshops and teacher participation is crucial. Teachers and media specialists interested in being a part of this valuable work should contact Barbara Fardell, manager of educational technology in the Department of Education’s Office of Grants Coordination & School Support, at fardellb@michigan.gov.

State Education Reforms website adds ELL policies

The recent NCES State Education Reforms (SER) website modifications include the addition of a a new table on state policies regarding the teaching of English Language Learners in the "staff qualifications and development" area. To locate these tables on the website, please look for the "Updated!" and "New!" tags next to the table titles. (IES Newsflash Subscription Service [IESWebmaster@ed.gov])

Course Credit Accrual and Dropping Out of High School

The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "Course Credit Accrual and Dropping Out of High School, by Student Characteristics."

Using data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, this report examines the number of credits earned by high school students and the relationship between course credit accrual and dropping out. Findings indicate that high school dropouts earned fewer credits than did on-time graduates within each year of high school, and the cumulative course credit accrual gap increased with each subsequent year.

International Comparison: Math & Science Achievement for US 4th and 8th Grade Students

This report from the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences summarizes the performance of U.S. fourth- and eighth-grade students on the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), comparing their scores with their peers internationally as well as documenting changes in mathematics and science achievement since 1995. The report also describes additional details about trends in the achievement of students within the United States, by sex, racial/ethnic background, and the poverty level of the schools they attend.

TIMSS is sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), an international organization of national research institutions and governmental research agencies. The United States participate in all four TIMSS administrations: 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. (IES Newsflash 12/9/2008)

Purdy Library Reference Area Redesign

To create a more comfortable environment for our library users, we will be installing new furniture in the computer and reference area on the first floor of Purdy Library.This installation will begin December 18 and will last through the holiday break. Library users will not have access to this area during that time. However, the stacks will be open to users and reference services will be available. We apologize for any inconvenience and encourage patrons to visit the Undergraduate Library or the Science & Engineering Library during the upgrade.

Click this link to see a simulation of the redesigned Purdy Reference area. The first 50 seconds of this video is the Purdy side of the library.

Public School Enrollment report issued by IES

The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment and Staff From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2006-07."

This report presents 2006-07 school year information at the national and state level on student enrollment by grade and by race/ethnicity within grade, the numbers of teachers and other education staff, and several student/staff ratios.
From IES Newsflash service, 11/24/2008

From Education Week: "Study to Size Up Doctoral Programs"

"Two national education groups are launching a first-time effort to assess—and possibly even rank—the hundreds of doctoral programs that prepare education researchers.

The field of education produces an estimated 1,800 doctorates a year, according to the American Educational Research Association, which is overseeing the three-year study with the National Academy of Education, known as NEAD. Such programs, however, have come under scrutiny in recent years, with scholars and policymakers complaining that they suffer from uneven quality and “mission muddle.” Education Week, October 29, 2008

WSU Students, Faculty and Staff can access the Oct 29, 2008 issue of Education Week via the ProQuest Research Library database:

Student Victimization in US Schools--New Report from NCES

The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "Student Victimization in U.S. Schools Results From the 2005 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey."

This report provides estimates of student victimization as defined by the 2005 School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). This report incorporates findings from student respondents ages 12-18 in grades 6-12 that were interviewed during the 2005 school year.

It shows that student victims of crime are more likely to report conditions of an unfavorable school climate, security measures at school, and exhibit fear and avoidance behaviors. Additional topics covered in this report include the prevalence and type of student victimization at school and selected characteristics of victims, including their demographic characteristics and school type; and victim and nonvictim reports of the presence of gangs and weapons and the availability of drugs.
Posting from IES Newsflash 10/21/2008

RAND Research Brief: Florida's Middle School Reading Coaches: What Do They Do? Are They Effective?

This research brief reports the results of a study examining the implementation and effectiveness of a middle school reading coach program in Florida. "Reading coaches in Florida middle schools have helped teachers and administrators build their knowledge and skills, and have had a positive influence on students' motivation to read, but their impact on achievement is mixed, a report on the little-studied topic says." (Education Week, 9/17/2008)

Projections of Education Statistics to 2017 NCES Report Released

The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "Projections of Education Statistics to 2017."

This publication provides projections for key education statistics. It includes statistics on enrollment, graduates, teachers, and expenditures in elementary and secondary schools, and enrollment and earned degrees conferred expenditures of degree-granting institutions. For the Nation, the tables, figures, and text contain data on enrollment, teachers, graduates, and expenditures for the past 14 years and projections to the year 2017. For the 50 States and the District of Columbia, the tables, figures, and text contain data on projections of public elementary and secondary enrollment and public high school graduates to the year 2017. In addition, the report includes a methodology section describing models and assumptions used to develop national and state-level projections.

To view, download and print the report as a PDF file, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008078
(From IES Newsflash Subscription Service announcement 9/17/2008)

Reading First Heads for Extinction

From Education Week, July 15, 2008: House and Senate panels decided to eliminate its funding in the fiscal 2009 budget. The Ed Money Watch blog weighs in on this decision.

Policy Archive--Education

PolicyArchive is digital archive of global, non-partisan public policy research. Through the PolicyArchive, you can access summaries and full texts, videos, reports, briefs, and multimedia material of think tank, university, government, and foundation-funded policy research. PolicyArchive is supported by the non-profit Center for Governmental Studies (CGS) in partnership with the Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) University Library and major U.S. charitable foundations.

NCES Report Released: Characteristics of the 100 Largest Public Elementary and Secondary School Districts in the U.S. 2005-06

The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "Characteristics of the 100 Largest Public Elementary and Secondary School Districts in the United States: 2005-06 (NCES 2008-339)."

"This annual report provides basic information from the Common Core of Data about the nation's largest public school districts in the 2005-06 school year. The data include such characteristics as the numbers of students and teachers, number of high school completers and the averaged freshman graduation rate, and revenues and expenditures. Findings include: In 2005-06, these 100 largest districts enrolled 23 percent of all public school students and employed 22 percent of all public school teachers. The districts produced 20 percent of all high school completers (both diploma and other completion credential recipients) in 2004-05. Across the districts, the averaged freshman graduation rate was 69.5 percent. Three states -- California, Florida, and Texas -- accounted for almost half of the 100 largest public school districts. Current per-pupil expenditures in fiscal year 2003 ranged from a low of $5,104 in the Puerto Rico School District to a high of $18,878 in the District of Columbia Public School District." IES Newsflash

Encyclopedia of Language and Education (2nd Edition) available online

The 10 volume Encyclopedia of Language and Education, 2nd Edition, is available online through the WSU libraries.

"In this second, fully revised edition, the 10 volume Encyclopedia of Language and Education offers the newest developments including two new volumes of research and scholarly content essential to the field of language teaching and learning in the age of globalization. In the selection of topics and contributors, the Encyclopedia reflects the depth of disciplinary knowledge, breadth of interdisciplinary perspective, and diversity of sociogeographic experience in the field." (Springer.com, About This Book)

avorite Children's Authors and Illustrators available online

The 8 volume Favorite Children's Authors and Illustrators (edited by Primm) is now available online.

You can link to it directly through the following (you can also put this link in your Blackboard site if you like. Students will be able to link directly to the resource)

http://elibrary.wayne.edu/record=b3327537~S1

After you link to the record, click on Connect to online resource-WSU on-site and authorized users

When you get to the online book, click eTable of Contents OR eBook Index to get to the contents of the books

A new task force addresses shortcomings in education reform

"A new task force of national policy experts with diverse religious and political affiliations, in public policy fields including education, social welfare, health, housing, and civil rights today launched a campaign calling for a “Broader, Bolder Approach to Education” to break a decades-long cycle of reform efforts that promised much and have achieved far too little.

Co-chaired by Helen Ladd, a Duke University professor of public policy studies, Pedro Noguera, a sociologist at New York University and an expert on educational policy, and Tom Payzant, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a former Boston schools superintendent and U.S. assistant secretary of education, the Task Force’s framework points to the many flaws in the approach of the current No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law and charges that the nation's education and youth development policy has erred by relying on school improvement alone to raise achievement levels of disadvantaged children. Task Force News Release, June 10, 2008

Cultural Attitudes Affect Girls' Math Performance

The article Culture, Gender and Math in the May 2008 issue of Science, reports on research which compared the results of more than 276,000 15-year-olds in 40 countries who took a test in 2003 run by the OECD. On average, girls scored 2 percent lower than boys in mathematics. When they compared the gaps in mathematics scores to various measures of gender inequality, they found a possible reason for those national variations. In the countries that had the greatest gender inequality, such as Turkey and Korea, girls tended to fare worse compared to boys. In countries with more equality, such as Norway, Sweden, and Iceland, the gender gap in mathematics test scores disappears. (As reported in the Choronicle of Higher Education, 5/30/2008).

Condition of Education 2008

The National Center for Education Statistics has released The Condition of Education 2008, a congressionally mandated report that provides an annual portrait of education in the United States

• This year, public school enrollment is expected to approach about 50 million students. Total public school enrollment is projected to set new records each year from 2008 to 2017, at which time it is expected to reach 54.1 million.
• Minority students make up 43 percent of the public school enrollment overall.
• In 2005–06, about a third of Black students and a third of Hispanic students attended high-poverty schools compared with 4 percent of White students.
• Average reading scores of 4th- and 8th-graders were higher in 2007 than in 1992.
• Average mathematics scores increased 27 points for 4th-graders and 19 points for 8th-graders between 1990 and 2007.
• Among public high school students in the class of 2005, about three-fourths graduated on time.
  

IES Newsflash 5/29/2008

Report to the Community on the Education for the 21st Century High School Redesign Initiative: 2002-2007 and Beyond

Sacremento City Unified School District and LEED (Linking Education and Economic Development) have partnered since 2001 to transform the City's six high schools into 42 distinct, theme-based choices to reflect the community’s workforce needs and economic objectives. Their redesign report highlights the redesign accomplishments, lessons learned, ongoing challenges and ways in which the community can help support the district, high schools and students.

Reading First Suffers Another Blow: Interim Report shows "no significant effect"

"The beleaguered Reading First program is likely to receive another round of scrutiny, as the U.S. Department of Education released an interim report on Thursday saying that the federally supported program has had no significant effect on students' reading-comprehension skills." Reported in the Chronicle of Higher Education, May 5, 2008

Still a Nation at Risk?

From Newsweek Magazine, 4/24/2008
"This weekend marks 25 years since the publication of the U.S. Department of Education's explosive report "A Nation at Risk." Its powerful indictment of American education launched the largest education-reform movement in the nation's history, paving the way for strategies as different as charter schools and the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. But even after a vast political and financial investment spanning two and a half decades, we're far from achieving the report's ambitious aims. "

Graduation Rate Watch: Making Minority Student Success a Priority

"Some colleges have found ways to improve the graduation rates of black students, and others should adopt their methods, a new report" states a new report from Education Sector. Announcement from Chronicle of Higher Education, 4/24/2008.

Characteristics of the 100 Largest Public Elementary and Secondary School Districts in the United States: 2004-05

"This annual report provides basic information from the Common Core of Data about the nation's largest public school districts in the 2004-05 school year. The data include such characteristics as the numbers of students and teachers, number of high school completers and the averaged freshman graduation rate, and revenues and expenditures." NCES Newsflash, 4/1/2008

2007 Digest of Education Statistics released

From NCES, a "compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. The Digest of Education Statistics contains data on a variety of topics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to educational attainment, finances, and federal funds for education, libraries, and international comparisons." NCES Newsflash announcement, 3/25/08

Graduation Rates Map

A graduate rates map from edweek.org, searchable by district or city. This is also now available in the Statistics section of the WSULS Education Subject Guide.

New databases available through EbscoHOST

The WSU Library System now provides access to the following databases through EbscoHOST. You can search databases individually by going directly to the appropriate database page under Articles & Databases, or go directly to the EbscoHOST gateway to search mulitple databases simultaneously.

New databases available are:

• Family Studies Abstracts
• Race Relations Abstracts
• Urban Studies Abstracts
• Public Administration Abstracts
• Abstracts in Social Gerontology

These databases include access to journal articles in publications such as: Journal of Social Issues, Ethnic & Racial Studies, Urban Affairs Review, Urban Education, Public Money & Management, Journal of Ageing and Social Policy and International Psychogeriatrics.

Use the Sign in to my EbscoHOST link to create your own account in any of the EbscoHOST databases, and you can save searches, create search alerts, save search results, and more.

Journal of Educational Technology Systems

The WSU Library System now has the Journal of Educational Technology Systems available online back to Volume 1, 1972.

2007 Brown Center Report on American Education: How Well are American Students Learning?

"Published by the Brown Center on American Education at the Brookings Institution, this report asks the question: "How well are American students learning?" Released in December 2007, this most recent edition of the report examines the latest test score data on math and reaching achievement. The report also offers analyses of enrollment patterns in private and public schools as well as an international comparison of national math scores. Tom Loveless, the director of the Brown Center, authored the report and it covers a great deal of ground and provides in-depth analysis of these topics. Visitors should also note that the Brookings site also contains a press release, a presentation by Loveless and video clips from the launch event for the report." Source: unknown blog posting

Projections of Education Statistics to 2016

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has just released the report "Projections of Education Statistics to 2016".

"This publication provides projections for key education statistics. It includes statistics on enrollment, graduates, teachers, and expenditures in elementary and secondary schools, and enrollment, earned degrees conferred, and current-fund expenditures of degree-granting institutions. For the Nation, the tables, figures, and text contain data on enrollment, teachers, graduates, and expenditures for the past 14 years and projections to the year 2016. For the 50 States and the District of Columbia, the tables, figures, and text contain data on projections of public elementary and secondary enrollment and public high school graduates to the year 2016. In addition, the report includes a methodology section describing models and assumptions used to develop national and state-level projections." (From NCES)

ERIC Thesaurus Update

Since the ERIC restructuring, several descriptors have been added, recinded or changed (and in some cases, recinded and added back). Here is a list of ERIC Thesaurus changes as of Spring 2007.

Doing What Works--New Dept. of Education Clearinghouse

A new US Dept. of Education website called Doing What Works launched on Nov. 2. It is focused on translating research-based practice (as exemplified in the Dept's What Works Clearinghouse) into tools that can be used by teachers to support and improve classroom instruction. The first topic focused on in the Doing What Works site is resources for K-5 English Language Learners. The What Works Clearinghouse and Doing What Works are linked to the WSU Education subject guide under the heading Internet Resources - Government & International Agency Resources

New Report on Sex Education released

A growing number of sex education programs that support both abstinence
and the use of contraception for sexually active teens have now shown positive effects in delaying first intercourse, improving contraceptive use, and preventing pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease among teens, according to a new report released today by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. The Report is titled Emerging Answers 2007: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy and
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and is authored by researcher Douglas Kirby, Ph.D., claims to be "the most comprehensive review to date of evaluation research that answers the question, what programs work to prevent teen pregnancy and STDs." 115 programs were evaluated for the report.

New Joint Commission On Math And Science Education

Carnegie Corporation Of New York And Institute For Advanced Study recently announced the establishment of a Joint Commission On Math And Science Education Commission. The commission's members include Prominent Educators, Business Leaders, Current and Former Governors, and Academics. The group plans to assess the current state of teaching in science and mathematics at colleges and elementary and secondary schools, and to identify and analyze successes and failures.

Cambridge Journals Online at WSU

WSU now has access to several Cambridge Journals online. Explore our titles by connecting to Cambridge Journals Online . Once you get to the Cambridge Journals Online site, select Subscribed To under Browse Journals on the left side of the screen. There are several titles of interest to the College of Education, including Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Language Teaching, Ageing & Society.

Strategic Education Research Partnership

"The mission of the Strategic Education Research Partnership (SERP) is to build a coherent, “use-inspired” program of research and development focused on the problems of classroom practice, and school and district management. To carry out its mission, SERP will establish partnerships with a set of school districts that agree to serve as “field sites:” places where ongoing collaborations between practitioners, researchers, and developers can support sustained investigations of approaches to improving student outcomes." (SERP website) Current field sites include Boston, Illinois and San Francisco.

"Inspired by a series of reports from the National Research Council from 2001 to 2003, the nonprofit partnership was created as a vehicle to improve educational research through studies aimed at solving practical problems." Education Week, 10/10/2007

Henry Ford Academies connects with FMC Fund and Gates Foundation

"The Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford Motor Company Fund, and the Seattle-based Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have invested a combined $11.5 million to start a national network of community-based high schools and to open community-based high schools in urban communities in the Midwest. The Henry Ford Learning Institute, which was founded in 2003 in partnership with Ford Motor Company, will use the $8.5 million portion of Ford Motor Company’s contribution to start a national network of schools, while the $3 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will support the launch of five Henry Ford Academies in Midwest urban communities. The high schools funded by this combined investment will follow the model of the original Henry Ford Academy, a charter high school founded in 1997 in Dearborn, Mich." From Education Week 10/10/2007

National Center for Education Research "Best Practice" Guides

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) recently published two practice guides in education. These guides are intended to sythesize the best available evidence and expertise on timely topics in education.

The two new guides are:
Encouraging Girls in Math and Science
Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning

New Education Database available October 1

Educators' Reference Complete from GALE will be available through the WSU Library System and the Michigan Electronic Library (MEL) beginning October 1.

With more than 1,100 periodicals that cover a wide variety of subjects and 200 reports from the United States Department of Education, the Educator’s Reference Complete is an important tool for today’s educator. In addition, Educator’s Reference Complete is the perfect complement for any library that utilizes the ERIC database, because it provides full-text results for nearly half of the journal titles found in ERIC. (from Thomson-Gale promotional literature)

Look for a link to this database on October 1, on the library's website under the letter E!

Historical Newspaper database test

The WSU Library System is currently testing a comprehensive 19th Century U.S. Newspapers, which provides access to approximately 1.7 million pages of primary source newspaper content from the 19th century, featuring full-text content and images from numerous newspapers from a range of urban and rural regions throughout the U.S. The collection encompasses the entire 19th century, with an emphasis on such topics as the American Civil War, African-American culture and history, Western migration and Antebellum-era life among other subjects.

If you would like to test this database, please contact Veronica Bielat , Education Liaison Librarian, for the URL and test password.

New DVD Available in the UGL

White Teachers/Diverse Classrooms: Teachers and Students of Color Talk Candidly about Connecting with Black Students and Tranforming Outcomes, has interviews with black students, white and black teachers, educational experts and school administrators. It supports the ideas and insights in the companion book White Teachers/Diverse Classrooms: a guide to building inclusive schools, promoting high expectations, and eliminating racism. (At Purdy/Kresge Library, Call no. LC 1099.3 .W48 2006)

Digest of Education Statistics: New Site

The new Digest has been fully integrated into the NCES web site system that permits convenient access to all the Digests since the 1995 edition. An easy-to-use menu allows one-click access to individual tables and figures from each Digest.

Visit: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/

Early Reading First Evaluation Report

"The report, conducted by outside researchers under contract to the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education, found the program has had the most significant effect in improving classroom activities and materials, as well as teacher practices related to literacy development...
But the program appeared to have no effect on the preschoolers’ oral-language skills, social or emotional development, or phonological processing—awareness of the sounds that make up words." Education Digest, June 12, 2007.

Massachusetts: More than half of minority and hispanic teaching applicants fail licensing test

Excerpt "Education school deans in the last year began expressing concerns about the minority teachers' high failure rates to state officials and asked the state to evaluate the validity of the test and consider other ways of judging prospective teachers. They and others say the minority teachers' results raise questions about whether the design of the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure is culturally biased and whether the quality of education that minority teaching applicants receive is good enough." Boston Globe, August 19, 2007

Chronicle Reports "Universities fail to reward science and math professors for working with schoolteachers"

You'll need to be on the WSU campus to read the article.

"Science professors receive few professional rewards for joining projects financed by the Math and Science Partnerships program, the federal government's principal effort to improve math and science teaching in elementary and secondary schools, a recent report says. The report calls this "a major roadblock" for the program. "

Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and Other G-8 Countries: 2006

Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and Other G-8 Countries: 2006 "This report describes how the education system in the United States compares with education systems in the other G-8 countries--Canada, France. Germany. Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom. Twenty indicators are organized in five sections: (1) population and school enrollment; (2) academic performance; (3) context for learning; (4) expenditure for education; and (5) education returns: educational attainment and income." NCES site description

Preparing STEM Teachers

A new report from AACTE highlights different strategies being taken by selected teacher education programs in all 50 states to train mathematics and science teachers, addressing a topic that has become a prime focus of elected officials and educators across the country. For Michigan, Wayne State University is highlighted.

2006 Data now available from ISI Journal Citation Reports (JCR)

2006 data are now available for Journal Citation Reports® on the Web. You can use JCR Reports to determine impacts factors, citations half-life, and more for many scholarly journals in the Social Sciences. This resource is made available to you through the Wayne State University Libraries.

National Poll of Middle School Students Report Available

"On May 22, 2007, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and Phi Delta Kappa International (PDK) released the results of A Voice From the Middle, a nationwide poll of middle level students. Conducted by Harris Interactive, the survey of 1,814 students in grades seven and eight reveals several stark contrasts between students’ educational goals and their beliefs about how they will achieve them."

ERIC News

A quick update on the ERIC database and its contents

ERIC wants to digitize your ERIC document. If you authored an ERIC document published prior to 1992 and would like to make it available in electronic format, go to the ERIC Microfiche Digitization Project page and provide your contact information to ERIC. The ERIC Microfiche Digitization Project has already digitized 63,000 ERIC documents from 1988-1992.

There is a lack of coverage, affectionately referred to as "The Gap", which stems from the ERIC contractual turnover from the Clearinghouses. The Gap refers to the time period 2002-2003, when very few journal citations were added to the ERIC database. ERIC is reviewing and developing an approach to correcting The Gap. However, if you are searching for current research on your topic, I recommend that you also search the database, Education Abstracts, to make sure you have not missed important current published research on your topic.

The eric.ed.gov (free web version of ERIC) continues to improve. You can now create your own account, save records to a "clipboard", and export saved records in EndNote compatible format.

As a result of the ERIC restructuring, all publishers are required to sign a journal agreement with ERIC in order to have their publications indexed in ERIC. There are currently 600 titles indexed in ERIC. This is approximately 75% of the number of titles indexed in ERIC prior to the change in 2002.

Wiley, publisher of journals such as Journal of Research in Science Teaching has not been responding to ERIC's request to sign a journal agreement. If you attend a conference where Wiley is exhibiting, please encourage them to sign the agreement with ERIC.

If you would like to suggest a periodical title for indexing to ERIC, please contact them directly . They want to hear your suggestions!

New Report Available: Closing the Expectations Gap 2007

Achieve, Inc. recently released their report Closing the Expectations Gap 2007
reviewing the alignment of the high school standards, graduation requirements and assessments of 50 states with college and work requirements. It finds that at least 48 states are now actively engaged in reform efforts of some kind.

Achieve, Inc. was created by the nation's governors and business leaders in 1996. It is described as a "bipartisan, non-profit organization that helps states raise academic standards, improve assessments and strengthen accountability to prepare all young people for postsecondary education, work and citizenship". Michigan's Governor Jennifer Granholm sits on Achieve, Inc.'s Board of Directors.

Do U IM?

Do you use AIM/AOL's Instant Messaging service (or do your students?) If yes, you can now ASK-A-LIBRARIAN using your own IM account. Add waynelibrarian to your buddy list.

If you don't use IM, you and your students can still chat with a librarian online using our chat software, no IM account or special software required. Just go to our ASK-A-LIBRARIAN page to link up with us.

JSTOR survey says Most Research Begins Online

According to Michael Spinella, executive director of JSTOR (an online database provider), online search is now the usual starting point among education faculty.

At the AERA Scholarly Communication session, he reported that a recent JSTOR survey revealed that only about 3% of faculty begin research in the library building. About 25% start with a general search on the web via Google or Yahoo; about 28% use a library’s online catalog, and about 38% start with a specific electronic resource like a computer database. (originally posted in the EducationPR blog)

Beta Data Analysis System from NCES

The DAS Online 2.0 Beta includes many new features and functions including estimating covariance analyses--both Weighted Least Squares and Logistic regressions. A Winsor filter has been added to filter out cases with extreme values. (NCES Newsflash Service)

You can also access several completed tables focusing on postsecondary education data

New Study Released on Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software

"The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, in the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, has released a major study of the effectiveness of education technology. The report, ‘Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software Products: Findings from the First Student Cohort’ which was mandated by Congress, uses scientifically based research methods and control groups to focus on the impact of technology on student academic achievement."

The report is available at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20074005
(IES Newsflash Service)

Niles Eldredge creating a new journal called Outreach and Education in Evolution

From the Chronicle of Higher Education 3/2/2007
The new journal is designed to bring advances in the subject into classrooms from kindergarten to graduate school...the journal's target audience encompasse(s) a variety of categories, including administrators, advanced undergraduates and graduate students, educated laypeople, museum curators, policy makers, researchers, and schoolteachers of all grades. Springer had planned to publish the first issue in January 2008. But when it announced the journal last month, potential contributors expressed so much interest that Springer decided to push the first issue up to September."

Inspector General's Report Cites Apparent Conflicts of Interest at Universities Involved in Reading First Program

From the Chronicle of Higher Education 3/9/2007

"The Education Department's inspector general released late Wednesday its sixth, and probably final, report on problems in the administration of the Reading First program. More than any of the previous reports, this one touches on allegations of conflicts of interest at the universities that have helped run the program...Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who is chairman of the Senate committee that oversees education programs, has demanded to see correspondence between the department and its Reading First contractors. "

An Historical Overview of Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education, by State: Fiscal Years 1990−2002

NCES announces the release of An Historical Overview of Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education, by State: Fiscal Years 1990−2002

"This large publication contains data from the Common Core of Data, National Public Education Financial Survey, Fiscal Years 1990 through 2002. Data have been adjusted to 2002 dollars using the Consumer Price Index. Full dollar amounts and per pupil amounts are presented for each data item."

This publication contains state-level data on revenues by source and expenditures by function, including expenditures per pupil. All data were reported to NCES by state education agencies."

To download, view and print the publication as a PDF file, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007317

Child Poverty in Perspective: An Overview of Child Well-being in Rich Countries

From the UNICEF Innocenti Research Center in Italy, this Report Card released February 14, 2007, "provides a comprehensive assessment of the lives and well-being of children and young people in 21 nations of the industrialized world. Its purpose is to encourage monitoring, to permit comparison, and to stimulate the discussion and development of policies to improve children’s lives."

Full Text SAGE Journals now available!!

As of January 2007, in partnership with the Michigan Librarian Consortium, WSU now provides access to over 400 Sage Journals across 40 disciplines, through the Sage Collections Plus E-Journals. You can read more about the collection http://www.mlc.lib.mi.us/cms/sitem.cfm/databases__econtent/ejournals_/sage_ejournals/

To access the full-text SAGE Education journal collection, click on the letter C under Articles & Databases on the library homepage, select the CSA Illumnia Databases link.

When you get to the database page, click the Specific Databases link.
Scroll down and select Education: A SAGE Full-Text collection
(While you are here, you can click the BROWSE FULL TEXT link to the right to view the titles in this collection, and directly link to a title)
Scroll up to the top and select the CONTINUE TO SEARCH link to search the collection.

You can also link directly to the full text articles in these publications from any database by using the Article Linker button.

Have questions about the SAGE full-text collection, or any other library resources? Please give me a call!

New Online SAGE Journal Collection Available

WSU, through the Michigan Library Consortium (MLC), now has full-text online access to 10 discipline-specific SAGE journal collections. Included are SAGE’s Psychology and Education journals.

A full title list is available here: http://www.sagepublications.com/promos/MLC_titles.pdf

You can access the SAGE online collections through the CSA Illumina database platform.
From the library homepage, click the letter “C” under Articles & Databases
Click CSA Illumina in the list.
When you get to CSA Illumina, click the specific databases link
Select the full-text collection you would like to search.

Announcement from the Michigan Library Consortium http://www.mlc.lib.mi.us/cms/sitem.cfm/news__announcements/sage/

New Field Name for searching research in ERIC

For those of you who may have used the search term research and RECORD TYPE as the search type to search for research in the ERIC (FirstSearch) database, the RECORD TYPE field has been removed from ERIC. The field name is now PUBLICATION TYPE.

To search for research articles in ERIC (FirstSearch), use research as your search term, and select PUBLICATION TYPE as your search type.

New Peer Reviewed Search Limit in ERIC

In the ERIC FirstSearch database you can now limit your search to Peer Reviewed journals.


However, ERIC is not retroactively applying the Peer Reviewed field to all citations in its database, so if you use the Peer Reviewed limit, you will only be retrieving materials published after November 2004.

Peer Review is being applied according to the Refereed designations applied in Ulrich’s International Periodicals Directory. Although considered an authoritative source on information on periodicals published throughout the world, it is important to remember that Peer Review status is self-reported by the publishers.

Note that if you do not limit your search to Articles while performing a Peer Reviewed limited search, you will get ERIC Documents in your search results. ERIC is also applying the Peer Review designation to ERIC Documents published by NCES and the What Works Clearinghouse after 2004.

Quality Counts 2007: From Cradle to Career: Connecting American Education From Birth to Adulthood

Education Week has released its annual Quality Counts report. This years report "begins to track state efforts to create a more seamless education system by looking at performance across the various sectors, and at state efforts to define students’ “readiness” to succeed from one stage to the next." The report contains a "Chance-for-Success Index, developed by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, which provides a state-focused perspective on the importance of education throughout a person’s lifetime."

Michigan ranks 25th on the Chance for Success Index.

Happy New Year!

Hello and Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a good (and restful) break. I'll have lots of news to share for the coming semester, including changes to ERIC and library resources available through the Blackboard Content System.

Journal of Educational Controversy

This new peer-refereed journal will be published semiannually by the Center for Educational Pluralism of the Woodring College of Education at Western Washington University. The journal publishes primarily original essays in response to the dilemma or controversy announced in the theme for the issue. The first issue was published in November.

"The Journal of Educational Controversy raises controversies that result from teaching and learning in a pluralistic, democratic society."

2 new books available from RAND

The following new books are available online from RAND. You can access these publications online through the RAND website, or through the WSU Library Catalog.

Reforming Teacher Education: Something Old, Something New by Sheila Nataraj Kirby et al.

Teacher education has been subject to scathing criticism and innumerable efforts designed to reform it or to save it from being dismantled. One of the latest and best-funded efforts aimed at teacher education reform is boldly titled Teachers for a New Era (TNE). Eleven colleges and universities nationwide were selected to participate in TNE. The RAND Corporation and the Manpower Research Demonstration Corporation followed and evaluated the TNE initiative from 2002 to 2005, conducting on-site interviews with TNE grantees. This study places TNE in the larger context of teacher education reform and critically examines the process by which reform will result in highly qualified teachers capable of producing improvements in student learning.

Improving Mathematics and Science Education: A Longitudinal Investigation of the Relationship Between Reform-Oriented Instruction and Student Achievement by Vi-Nhuan Le et al.

This book presents the findings of a multiyear study of the effectiveness of reform-oriented science and mathematics instruction. This project builds on prior RAND research, incorporating diverse indicators, innovative measures, and a longer-term period of study.

What It Takes to Make a Student

The November 26 New York Times Sunday Magazine reports on recent research the effects of poverty on student achievement, and aligns these findings with the impact of No Child Left Behind on closing the minority achievement gap. (You may need to create a free account with the NYT to access this article).

PISA: Program for International Student Assessment

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an assessment (begun in 2000) that focuses on 15-year-olds' capabilities in reading literacy, mathematics literacy, and science literacy. Access PISA data and link to reports compiled by NCES from PISA data.

Data Snapshot from PISA 2003 Assessment:
Average Problem Solving Literacy Score
U.S.:477
OECD average: 500

Controversy over Reading First grant funding

This short article responds to the recent controversy regarding reading funding from the Reading First program (from a recent edition of Education Digest (Nov. 2006, 72(3) p. 70) Reading First Disgrace

You can read the Inspector General's Report on the Reading First Program's Grant Application Process here: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/aireports/i13f0017.pdf
Part of the article points to this report:
What Education Schools Aren’t Teaching About Reading and What Elementary Teachers Aren’t Learning

This report comes from the National Council on Teacher Quality,
Here’s what they have to say about themselves:
The National Council on Teacher Quality advocates for reforms in a broad range of teacher policies at the federal, state, and local levels in order to increase the number of effective teachers. To support our mission, we identify and encourage policies and practices that can lead to better teaching and increased student achievement. In particular we recognize the absence of much of the evidence necessary to make a compelling case for change and seek to fill that void with a research agenda that has direct and practical implications for policy. We are committed to lending transparency and increasing public awareness about the three sets of institutions that have the greatest impact on teacher quality: state departments of education, teacher preparation programs, and teachers unions.

The report was funded by the D&D Foundation. As reported in the Education Digest article, the D&D Foundation has no address, web page or listing in the Foundation Directory. The Chair of the D&D Foundation is Kimberly O. Dennis, who is a member of the Philanthropy Roundtable.
The Philanthropy Roundtable is described on the Dissident Voice blog on March 28, 2005 as follows: “a conservative counterpart to the mainstream Council on Foundations -- was initially operated under the aegis of the Institute for Educational Affairs (IEA), an organization founded in 1978 by two seminal figures of conservative philanthropy, William Simon and Irving Kristol. The IEA now operates as the Madison Center for Educational Affairs”

School 2.0: What is the future of education?

Michigan REMC 12 Director Mike Oswalt shared an excellent PowerPoint on School 2.0 at http://techplan.edzone.net/TDM2006/DIDYOUKNOW.ppt that was recently shown at the Michigan Technology Directors meeting. (Originally posted to the TTW blog).

Children's Books: Free Online Resources

The Notebook section of the most recent issue of American Educator noted these two freely available sites which have children's books available. The International Children's Digital Library has online books in 38 languages. SillyBooks.net has animated books with audio, and includes corresponding puzzles, games, lesson plans and learning activities.

United States High School Sophomores: A Twenty-Two Year Comparison, 1980-2002

Using questionnaire and test data collected in 1980, 1992, and 2002, this report presents time series data on three cohorts of high school sophomores. The report presents information on the changing context of cohort demographics, family characteristics, school characteristics, and school experiences, after school activities, and future plans and expectations. Tested achievement is also presented with results in math from 1980 to 1990 and 2002, and results in reading from 1990 to 2002. (NCES Newsflash Service)

College Rankings Reformed

"COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES have the raw materials with which to build a better rankings system, but many institutions do not want to abandon the current model. As a result, students
rely on commercial guides that provide little useful information, according to a report (College Rankings Reformed) scheduled to be released today by a research group in Washington." From the Chronicle of Higher Education, Sept. 22, 2006

Education Sector decribes itself as an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan education policy think tank devoted to developing innovative solutions to the nation’s most pressing educational problems. Its founder is Andrew J. Rotherham, former director of the 21st Century Schools Project at the Progressive Policy Institute.

Educating School Teachers

A recent report, from the Education Schools Project (led by Directed by Arthur Levine,
who recently left the presidency of Teachers College, Columbia University to become president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation), concludes that "a majority of teacher education graduates are prepared in university-based programs that suffer from low admission and graduation standards." The Educating School Teachers report "provides an examination of the successes and failures of university-based teacher education programs, offers “criteria for excellence” on which to judge the quality of programs, and sets forth a comprehensive five-point plan for improving programs and changing teacher-education policy. The report identifies several model teacher education programs at the nation’s 1,206 university-based education schools."

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to WSU! I hope everyone had a restful, productive, relaxing, exhilarating summer!

We have a few new things to share for Fall 2006--let's take a look
A new library web portal specifically designed for our first-year students (but a good page for any undergraduate) http://www.lib.wayne.edu/fye/

An online Assignment Planner, to help students organize and manage library research assignments: http://www.lib.wayne.edu/planner

Even more selections of Drop-In Workshops, including RSS and Blogging, Using Google and EndNote http://www.lib.wayne.edu/services/instruction_tutorials/drop_in.php (Remember, these workshops are for everyone--students, staff AND faculty)

EndNote X has been released. You can download this newest version at http://computing.wayne.edu/software

A new online APA Style Guide, with lots of examples
http://www.lib.wayne.edu/resources/subject_guides/guide.php?id=164

And don't forget about our old favorites:

See what's new in the library's collection through the New Titles List http://www.lib.wayne.edu/resources/new_books/index.php

Use the GET IT button in the library catalog to have books paged for you and ready for pick-up at any library circulation desk.

Have a great semester!

New report examines alignment of high school, college and work

Closing the Expectations Gap 2006: An Annual 50-State Progress Report on the Alignment of High School Policies with the Demands of College and Work is a recently published report from Achieve.org, a "a bipartisan, non-profit organization that helps states raise academic standards, improve assessments and strengthen accountability to prepare all young people for postsecondary education, work and citizenship." Achieve's Board Members include Michigan's Governor, Jennifer Granholm.

This report examines progress states are making in closing the gaps between high school standards and requirements and postsecondary and workplace expectations, which were identified through a 50 State survey done by Achieve.org in December 2005.

The issue of K-12 and postsecondary/workplace gaps was also recently discussed in an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education (Powerful Forces Draw Academe Into the Fray 3/10/2006), which referenced the following additional reports on the topic.

A Nation at Risk (1983)
The Governance Divide: A Report on a Four-State Study on Improving College Readiness and Success (2005)
Betraying the College Dream (2003, Stanford)
School & College (Special Report, Chronicle of Higher Education, 2006)

Copyright law impede progress in Educational Technology

A recent report from the Berkman Center for Internet and Society explored the impact that copyright law provisions have on the use of digitial technology in education.

"Drawing on research, interviews, two participatory workshops with experts in the field, and the lessons drawn from four detailed case studies, the white paper identifies four obstacles as particularly serious ones:
* Unclear or inadequate copyright law relating to crucial provisions such as fair use and educational use;
* Extensive adoption of digital rights management technology to lock up content;
* Practical difficulties obtaining rights to use content when licenses are necessary;
* Undue caution by gatekeepers such as publishers or educational administrators.

The report is available online, and it titled The Digital Learning Challenge: Obstacles to Educational Uses of Copyrighted Material in the Digital Age

2005 Digest of Education Statistics Available

Announcement from the NCES Newsflash Service:
The 41st in a series of publications initiated in 1962, the Digest of Education Statistics provides a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. The Digest contains data on a variety of topics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to educational attainment, finances, and federal funds for education, libraries, and international comparisons. Some examples of highlights from the report include the following items.

--> Enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools rose 22 percent between 1985 and 2005. The fastest public school growth occurred in the elementary grades (prekindergarten through grade 8)
-->Public secondary school enrollment declined 8 percent from 1985 to 1990, but then rose 31 percent from 1990 to 2005, for a net increase of 20 percent.
-->The number of public school teachers has risen faster than the number of students over the past 10 years, resulting in declines in the pupil/teacher ratio.
-->Between 1994 and 2004, the number of full-time college students increased by 30 percent compared to an 8 percent increase in part-time students. During the same time period, the number of men enrolled rose 16 percent, while the number of women enrolled increased by 25 percent.

New Journal: Journal of evidence-based practices for schools

We have recently added a subscription to the Journal of evidence-based practices for schools. Please note that this journal is available in print only, it has not been made available online from the publisher. We currently have volume 6 (issues 1 & 2)in our collection in the Kresge Wing of Purdy/Kresge Library. (We are missing the most current issue, v.7 (1) Winter 2006, but have a request into the publisher for a replacement).

Fellowships in Child Development

The Foundation for Child Development is accepting applications for its Young Scholars Program. Eligible researchers will have earned their doctoral degrees within the last 15 years, and be full-time, faculty members of a college or university in the United States. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. or its equivalent in one of the behavioral and social sciences or in an allied professional field (e.g., public policy, public health, education, social work, nursing, medicine). Three to four fellowships of up to $150,000 for use over one to three years (maximum) will be awarded competitively. Please note tenure equivalent positions are not eligible for the fellowship.--Program description from the FCD website.

Search any library easy with WorldCat Online!

From The Chronicle of Education Wired Campus Blog:

The OCLC Online Computer Library Center, a nonprofit group, announced this week that it was making available to the public WorldCat’s search engine of library holdings. WorldCat, which is maintained by the library center, is a database of materials from 10,000 libraries worldwide. Previously, only library patrons could gain access to WorldCat’s search tool. Now available through WorldCat.org, the search tool also helps people locate the library nearest them that has the book, article, or video or audio recording they are looking for. "People are starting their searches on the Web rather than in the library, and that’s where we want to be," said Bob Murphy, a spokesman for the library center.—Andrea L. Foster

APA citation style for Dissertations from the ProQuest Databases

The APA style manual does not have an example of how to cite dissertations in the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. A representative from APA recently posted the following to an inquiry on the EBSS (Educational, Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarians) listserv.


"The ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database appears to include dissertations abstracted in Dissertation Abstracts International. If the reference you are citing was abstracted in DAI but obtained from ProQuest (similar to Examples 54 and 55 in the Publication Manual), I would probably add that information to the reference entry as well:

Gibson, G. (2006). Between voice and silence: Identity development in Black adolescent females (Doctoral dissertation, State University of New York at Buffalo). Dissertation Abstracts International, 54, 100. Retrieved August 15, 2006, from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database.

If there is no DAI information available, then you could simply skip right to the retrieval information."

Citing Wikipedia: A policy for students?

Dr. Alan Liu from UC Santa Barbara, developed a policy for his students on the appropriateness of using Wikipedia as a resource for class assignments. His original posting, along with additional commentary, is available at Kairosnews: A Weblog for Discussing Rhetoric, Technology and Pedagogy.

ETS Poll: Americans See Math and Science as Key to U.S. Competitiveness

"In a major new opinion survey on education reform, a majority of adults, parents, high school teachers, administrators and college faculty believe that our nation's schools are coming up short in putting students on the path to compete for highly technical scientific and engineering jobs with young people from other countries and are going to have to challenge students more if America is to maintain its global economic edge."

"The results are from Keeping Our Edge: Americans Speak on Education and Competitiveness, ETS's sixth annual "Americans Speak" public opinion poll. The poll was conducted for ETS by Democratic pollster Peter Hart and Republican pollster David Winston." ETS Press Release

Teaching students about plagiarism: An internet solution to an internet problem

In this article from the latest issue of the online journal Innovate, Eleanour Snow from Univ. of South Florida generally discussed the problem of plagiarism in higher education, and describes how she developed and used an online tutorial as a proactive approach to the problem of plagiarism in her own classroom.

The Condition of Education 2006

"Today, the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released The Condition of Education 2006. This annual report summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest available data. The 2006 report presents 50 indicators on the status and condition of education and a special analysis on international assessments. The indicators represent a consensus of professional judgment on the most significant national measures of the condition and progress of education for which accurate data are available." NCES Newsflash Service