EVALUATING COMPENSATORY EDUCATION: OVER WHAT PERIOD OF TIME SHOULD ACHIEVEMENT BE MEASURED?

An assumption fundamental to compensatory education is that greater achievement can change the academic future of disadvantaged students, which may in turn enhance their "life chances." Therefore, one of the goals of compensatory education is to increase the achievement of disadvantaged students. To change students' futures, this increase in achievement should be evident subsequent to participation in a compensatory-education program. At a minimum, an increase in achievement should persist over the summer following a school-year program. Evaluations of compensatory education in general, however, and of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in particular, have not included measures of sustained achievement. Instead, judgments of program success have been based on students' achievement during the school year: that is, on a spring posttest score adjusted in some way for the preceding fall pretest score.     

Cognitive Load and Classroom Teaching: The Double-Edged Sword of Automaticity

Research in the development of teacher cognition and teaching performance in K–12 classrooms has identified consistent challenges and patterns of behavior that are congruent with the predictions of dual-process models of cognition. However, cognitive models of information processing are not often used to synthesize these results. This article reviews findings from the research on teaching and teacher education through the lens of a dual-process model and emphasizes the role that cognitive load plays in driving teaching performance. Data reflecting the salience of automaticity and its relationship with cognitive overload are highlighted, and implications for teacher preparation and inservice training strategies are discussed. Specific suggestions for teacher training draw on empirical findings from cognitive approaches to training that emphasize the development of automaticity in teaching skills to minimize extraneous cognitive load and maximize effective performance.     

Counselor Supervision as a Function of Trainee Experience: Analysis of Specific Behaviors

Fifty-one supervisees varying in both experience and training (a) judged 44 specific supervisor behaviors for the frequency that they were implemented in supervision and (b) judged supervision effectiveness, which was assessed on five separate scales. Factor analysis of the supervisor behaviors revealed four factors: Evaluative Support, Time/Structure, Method of Supervision, and Rapport. Results from multivariate analysis of variance showed that one factor, Method of Supervision, was statistically significant with beginning trainees emphasizing more the mechanics and task of supervision. Other trends showed that experienced supervisees entertained a less structured interaction with supervisors that was more supportive and considered more effective. Analysis of specific supervisor behaviors gave support to the notion that supervision over time can be conceptualized as a developmental process.