The Early Learning Challenge (ELC) program awarded more than $1 billion in four-year grants to 20 States to implement comprehensive and cohesive high-quality early learning systems that support young children with high needs and their families. A key lever in making these improvements was the enhancement of States' Quality Rating and Improvement…

The problem addressed in study is that teachers typically do not use all of the sources of data available to them in a regular and systematic manner to modify their instructional practices. Nine hundred and eighty one Illinois public school teachers participated by completing survey on their uses of educational data. The study employed a…

Data from college admissions tests can provide a valuable measure of student achievement, but the non-representativeness of test-takers is an important concern. We examine selectivity bias in both state-level and school-level SAT and ACT averages. The degree of selectivity may differ importantly across and within schools, and across and within…

As part of a multiyear research study on the preparation of educators to use assessment data for instructional improvement, the present study is a pilot test of a research-based professional development intervention for career-technical teachers. Forty-eight educators at nine sites in five states participated in a 1-day workshop followed by…

This case study offers an in-depth look at how one school achieved change in its culture and in its approach to curriculum and instruction. The unit of analysis for this single case study is South Loop Elementary School (SLES) and the time period is from August 2002 to June of 2007, during which SLES students demonstrated sharply improved…

Sixty-six public libraries selected by random sample, substitutions and participation requests, tested Rutgers University 1970 Performance Measures Manual to gather information on the evaluation and improvement of public libraries. Selection was based on geographic location and budget categories. Following instructions for manual's use at…

The follow-up study evaluating the effectiveness of occupational education programs in Illinois focused on six principal dimensions: the basis on which occupational decisions were made; the post-high school status of occupational program completers; employment experience of program completers; alumni assessments of program helpfulness and…

The purpose of the study was to conduct a survey of all the public community colleges in Illinois to evaluate how the colleges develop and approve vocational-technical education programs. Objectives included evaluation of the criteria used in selection and approval of programs, getting information to improve management processes used in selecting…

On account of concern about declining achievement levels of high school graduates and proposed state legislation increasing graduation requirements to address this concern, this report analyzes current and proposed high school graduation requirements in Illinois, based on data compiled from local school documents, and compares the data to…

The Occupational Survival Skills (OSS) Modules were designed to offer high school students an opportunity to develop skills applicable to a wide range of jobs in the work world and to develop positive attitudes, perceptions, and motivations toward work. The primary purpose of this study was to describe and interpret the influence of the OSS…