In December 2015, President Barack Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced No Child Left Behind (NCLB), as the nation's major law governing public schools. ESSA retains the requirement that states test all students in reading and math in grades three through eight and once in high school, as well as the requirement that…

Presents a brief history of charter schools, summarizes important elements, discusses key lessons from the charter school movement, and explores some unanswered questions. Charter schools can positively affect student achievement, attendance, and attitude; often focus on low- and moderate-income youngsters; provide talented educators with…

To explicate the factors behind standards implementation, the results of a project to develop and pilot test a process that bridges the gap between setting standards and improving student achievement is presented. The text focuses on the Implementing Academic Standards (IAS) program, which was designed to develop and pilot-test a process for…

This case study describes the introduction and consideration of a state board staff proposal that the more traditional Minnesota State Universities adopt external degree programs. A model for making practices congruent with policy decisions is presented. The process of examining the external degree proposal, beginning with the state board actions…