Just as the Grey Squirrel and the Little Owl were brought to England by well-intentioned enthusiasts so also are well meaning educational enthusiasts anxious to import attainment tests from America. In the former case the results were disastrous for ecology and this research stresses some of the lessons to be learned from the American experience…

Authors are officials at the Education Department of the National Union of Teachers and have been monitoring the policies of LEAs concerning testing and assessment in schools. Here is their report. (Editor/RK)

While many teachers view the current trend in education toward more formal methods of assessment with considerable anxiety, there seems to be little coherent expression of the part that assessment should play, and the form it should take. Outlines an approach to assessment that seems appropriate and supports educational requirements in a primary…

Argues against one-dimensional testing procedure and discusses how tests are constructed with the accent on the effects of normative testing. Presents a method by which information from student testing could be used for the improvement of teaching. (RK)

Suggests that there are six prerequisites to successful teaching in any inner city or disadvantaged school, and that these prerequisites must be the foundation upon which the educational philosophy of the school's teachers is based if programs in such schools are to have any impact on the educational development of the students. (Author/RK)

Discusses the problems in communicating with parents and involving them in the development of their children and in the growth of their children's school. An experimental group, the Parent, Teacher, Governor Working Party (PTG), is described and evaluated. (RK)

A Family Workshop is an informal, multidisciplined educational program for adults and children, organized by a team of teachers. This article discusses the Lavender Hill Family Workshop, one of many, which attempts to provide education in various subject areas for adults and for children while also integrating both objectives in order to educate…

A. R. Luria, who was always dedicated to solving human problems and whose work revolutionized neuropsychology, is dead. His central concern was the removal of threats to effective psychological functioning, to a fully human life. Here is a review of his contributions to psychological research. (Author/RK)

Eight guidelines for contract learning-type programs are presented under the headings (1) supplying rationales, (2) focusing on the faculty, (3) assessing faculty performance, (4) assessing student readiness, (5) assessing the costs, (6) students as researchers, (7) how much academic credit, and (8) agents of change. Focus is on the faculty as…

Data on 62 graduates of the Stephens College Without Walls program were gathered from student records, transcripts, and a questionnaire to measure program success as perceived by the student in terms of work effectiveness, access to advanced programs of study, and impact on life outside of work and education. The nontraditional degree was rated…

A diverse set of techniques for monitoring student progress within competency-based programs of a public community college are discussed and evaluated. Approaches include placement testing, entry self-testing, computer-generated entry surveying and test generation, computer records management, student manuals, and competency-based transcripts.…

A viable method of identifying alternative futures for continuing education is examined using the Delphi technique. The study synthesized information concerning the most important influences that a selected group of experts foresaw as shaping the sructure, programs, clientele, and financing of continuing education for the next two decades. (LBH)

The Institute for Personal and Career Development of Central Michigan University offers external degree programs for adult learners using nontraditional study. The competency-based programs described include credit given for the educational background and relevant career-life experiences of registered nurses in Michigan. (Author/LBH)

Ways in which a university counseling center changed its management style and subsequent service delivery are described. The center went from the traditional director-staff relationship to a collective governance process. (Author/LBH)

A questionnaire survey was used to gauge the opinions of mathematics teachers about some history of mathematics materials recently developed for use in the classroom. Teachers' opinions of the materials were generally favorable, but a sizeable proportion responded that they would not use the material in their own teaching. (Author/MN)