This enlightening handbook offers current, international perspectives on the conditions in communities, contemporary practices in schooling, relevant research on teaching and learning, and implications for the future of education. It contains diverse conceptual frameworks for analyzing existing issues in education, including but not limited to…

The "Value-Added School Review (VSR)" is an analytical model designed to assist schools in identifying and addressing opportunities for school improvement. The model works best when it is focused purposefully on students and the student learning outcomes as defined in the "Guide to Education". It complements the processes…

The purpose of this paper is to inform the community about teacher appraisal methods in the School District of Philadelphia, outline the difficulties of the current system, and suggest approaches that would strengthen the teacher appraisal process. The authors gathered their information over three months in mid-2009 from multiple sources:…

Documented volunteer experience can be a valuable tool for the individual who volunteers as well as for the organization for which the volunteer works. Current trends point toward the heightened need for validating volunteer experience. Recordkeeping systems can help facilitate effective placement of all volunteers according to their interests,…

This evaluation report describes the process by which a large, urban-suburban school system evaluated its vocational education program and the results of the evaluation. The evaluation was built upon a set of broad evaluation questions addressing two components of the vocational-technical program: (1) questions related to employer needs and…

Reviews available published rural program evaluation efforts, documents reasons rural community mental health centers have offered for not implementing systematic program evaluation activities, and offers constructive suggestions for overcoming barriers to evaluation. Introduces standard program evaluation strategies. Discusses techniques and aids…

The directory contains a list and description of 20 quality assurance instruments, 5 organizations, and 10 publications to aid in monitoring service delivery systems for people with mental retardation. A position statement by the Association for Retarded Citizens on the multiple dimensions of quality assessment precedes the list. It stresses…

Explores the role of teacher evaluation and suggests ways professionalism might be achieved through the evaluation process. Recommends that peer review might be an important means of defining and enforcing professional standards in teaching. (DR)

This Knowledge Brief argues for the value of creating a district accountability system that complements the state?s federally prescribed effort. It also identifies essential decisions that must be made in developing a local system and includes or points to resources that can help inform and guide the process. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requires…

Acknowledges that the content and structure of competency examinations is open to debate. Reviews professional examinations in other fields of expertise such as accounting, law, and medicine, in an effort to establish the value of such examinations in the teaching profession. (DR)

This article concentrates on the use of online searching to provide information needed by business for strategy formulation. The following steps are explained: environment analysis (structural analysis, trend analysis); business analysis; strategy formulation; strategic anticipation; strategic plan formalization; and implementation and control.…

The Mississippi Board of Education adopted the School/Community Involvement initiative in 2003 as a part of the Mississippi School Level Accountability Model Evaluation Instruments. This guide provides the components of those standards along with ideas and suggestions to assist parents, community members and school staff with the development or…

To debunk the myth that evaluation is a process better left to people with a PhD, this guide describes how organizations and coalitions can develop and utilize an evaluation strategy to make underage drinking prevention programs successful and effective. This booklet first describes the purpose of evaluation as well as the myths and facts about…

Teaching matters. Study after study confirms that students who have high quality teachers make significant and lasting achievement gains. Those with less effective teachers play a constant game of academic catch-up. Having high quality teachers consistently tops parents' list of critical elements of an effective school. As the National Commission…

This monograph explores many of the issues related to teacher assessment. In Section I, the criteria for teacher assessment and evaluation are discussed. An analysis is given of the issues involved in teacher assessment in the second section. Among the issues considered are the validity of research findings on teacher effectiveness, measurement…