Teacher evaluation has emerged as a major focus for reform at the highest levels of education policymaking, and for good reason. Most evaluations are based on scant evidence of actual effectiveness, produce inflated ratings, and provide teachers with little useful feedback. This paper offers policymakers and practitioners important "lessons…

In early November 2013, the authors started talking about visiting the Hurley School, a dual-language school in Boston, Massachusetts. The Hurley School had spent considerable time transitioning to the Common Core State Standards on literacy, but little time addressing the shifts in math. They worried that math classes were no longer rigorous…

Several tools exist that school districts can use to help solve current or potential problems in compensatory programs. The school district should begin by conducting (1) a study to determine the extent to which students are served by multiple compensatory programs, (2) on-site observations of the programs, and (3) a review of the curriculum and…

This guide presents practical applications from a research study about the processes that schools use to initiate and sustain reforms. It examines the history of 10 elementary schools in high-poverty settings, including details of behavioral and attitudinal changes. Ten capacities were associated with the stages of successful reform. The…

Based on the work of the National Council on Research in Child Welfare (NCRCW), this handbook is designed to help social service agency executives cope with changing times for child welfare agencies, strengthen traditional services to meet today's needs, and analyze and plan for the future. The manual aims to demystify quality improvement theory…

In their search for new ways to assess their agencies' success in working with children and families, child welfare administrators and senior managers are increasingly seeking regular and reliable sources of information that help them evaluate agency performance, make ongoing decisions, and provide an accurate picture for agency staff and external…

College science education is at risk of becoming mired in the "reform culture" that has long been problematic in precollege science. A single universal solution to student underpreparedness and lack of sustained interest cannot be found, but a departmental level commitment to change and reallocation of resources is necessary to achieve program…

This examination of the issues of reform pertinent to adult and developmental education focuses largely on the activities and recommendations of the Learning, Assessment, Retention Consortium (LARC) of California with respect to these concerns. The first sections of the paper address the problem of underprepared college students, and the policy…

This report is the second of a series exploring implementation of best practices in programs serving young children and families, and focuses on the uses and benefits of developing and using a logic model in programs serving young children and families. A logic model is described as providing a way to clearly articulate the program's theory of…

Argues for the necessity of identifying and recruiting art education teachers who will empower their students. Stresses that persons of this sort will be teachers who know art not just artists who teach. Identifies systemic and personnel changes which are necessary for increased assimilation of the arts into schools. (KO)

The purpose of this publication is to help school district leaders improve the use of technology in schools through the design and implementation of a planning process. Three levels of the process are noted, including strategic planning of overall direction for program improvement, program planning of objectives and management, and curriculum…

Partners in Quality is a research and development project sponsored by the Canadian Child Care Federation and its affiliates to explore how child care providers, parents, and other partners can work together to support and improve quality in child care. This booklet, in both English and French, supplements a series to support child care providers…

Intended as a practical resource for early childhood center directors engaged in improving the overall quality of their programs, this guide details a comprehensive method for analyzing the different components of a program to increase the program's effectiveness, assists in diagnosing common organizational problems, and aids in selecting…

Explores the transformation occurring in health care and examines the implications of these changes for academic health centers. Identifies problem areas and suggests solutions for the education, research, and care programs. States that support and understanding for, as well as changes within, the centers are needed. (ML)

This newsletter issue focuses on strategies for program workers to help enhance family support. The newsletter includes the following articles: (1) "'But What Should I Way?': Five Principles To Help Families Deal with Television"; (2) "Shaping the Future--How to Build Partnerships with Local Community Foundations"; (3)…