This updated policy profile on education in Mexico is part of the Education Policy Outlook series, which presents comparative analysis of education policies and reforms across OECD countries. Building on the OECD's substantial comparative and sectorial policy knowledge base, the series offers a comparative outlook on education policy. This country…

This policy profile on education in the Netherlands is part of the new Education Policy Outlook series, which presents comparative analysis of education policies and reforms across The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Building on the substantial comparative and sectorial policy knowledge base available…

The math problem is common to most U.S. school districts, and education leaders are well aware that U.S. math achievement lags far behind many other countries in the world. University Place (Washington) School District Superintendent Patti Banks found the conspicuous income gap for math scores even more disturbing. In her school district, only 23%…

Urban Teacher Residencies (UTRs) are an emerging innovation designed to embody best practices in recruitment, screening, preparation, placement, induction, and teacher leadership for urban school districts. UTRs can be a key element of urban districts' portfolio of pathways into teaching and a lynchpin of a larger strategy to strengthen the…

Higher education must look to itself, not just government, to improve teaching, training, and learning. It must empower individuals to achieve their goals better within society's context, explore how it can do that more effectively, and go outside academe to assure public interest, resources, and programs supportive of its work. (MSE)

Recommends that education agencies adopt "intermediate implementation goals" for reform and assess progress toward these goals, in order to satisfy political pressure for visible improvements and thus retain public support. (MCG)

Analysis of information technology's role in higher education looks at pressures to use technology, the slow pace of adoption, current directions in technological advancement, and its impact on institutional policy and resource requirements. Its impact on teaching and learning without a new paradigm for instruction is seen as limited. (MSE)

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 report, part of a project called "Redesigning Higher Education", argues that a set of fundamental changes underlies the growing number of critical difficulties faced by higher education in the United States. It finds the governance structures of American higher education inadequate to deal with a changing and increasingly cost-conscious…

Results of changes to the planning process at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands are described. During the past years, government actions related to retrenchment prompted the Dutch universities to change their planning process in order to increase flexibility and to account for differences in quality. Two important procedures were…

This monograph summarizes outcomes of a forum addressing strategies to improve special education program evaluation efforts and orient policymakers, administrators, and advocates to the benefits of program evaluation as an integral part of program improvement. The forum also addressed barriers restricting evaluation of program effectiveness…

The role of institutional budgeting strategies in promoting institutional change is examined, looking specifically at two budget components (general-purpose lump sums and earmarked funds). Experiences of the University of Utrecht (Netherlands) with internal competition for reduced funds as a means for stimulating change are discussed. (MSE)

A model for reallocating resources for intercollegiate athletics through need-based student financial aid is offered. Aid would be limited to tuition and fees, supporting amateurism and balancing education and athletics in student motivation. This would address a significant concern in program financing and change the culture of college sports.…

It is proposed that universities fund all research prospectively, one project at a time, as publishers do, and require faculty whose research has not been funded to fill his work schedule with teaching, effecting significant savings and the understanding that time off for research is not automatic. (MSE)

The transformation of higher education through the integration of information technology into teaching and learning has begun, but it will not happen overnight. Most institutions have not planned for continuing capital investment and operating funds to support routine use of new technology by students and faculty. (MSE)