The purpose of this report is to provide readers with a comparative analysis of the Massachusetts workforce "system" structures and performance reporting processes compared to other states. Though the federal workforce development system is often examined in its entirety and individual state systems are at times examined independently,…

At least sixteen US states have taken steps toward holding teacher preparation programs (TPPs) accountable for teacher value-added to student test scores. Yet it is unclear whether teacher quality differences between TPPs are large enough to make an accountability system worthwhile. Several statistical practices can make differences between TPPs…

A recent report published by the National Center on Performance Incentives (NCPI) presents findings from the second-year of a multi-year evaluation of the Texas Educator Excellence Grant (TEEG) program, a statewide educator incentive program that operated in Texas. As part of this evaluation report, researchers examined how first-year TEEG schools…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Another Positive Step for ESEA Reauthorization: Testifying Before Congress, Duncan Calls for Reauthorization in 2010,…

Nearly every high-priority item in national, federal, state, and local discussions about education--and policy proposals across the political spectrum--requires high-quality longitudinal data to inform its design, implementation, and evaluation. This factsheet shares Data Quality Campaign's (DQC's) analysis of what "Data for Action 2011:…

The primary study objective was to develop a statewide system that made use of information about the pre-kindergarten program in combination with kindergarten reading and social outcome measures in order to inform parents about the ability of early childhood programs to prepare children for formal schooling. In order to carry out this objective,…

District Awards for Teacher Excellence (D.A.T.E.) is a state-funded program in Texas that provides grants to districts for the implementation of locally-designed performance pay plans. All districts in the state are eligible to receive grants, but participation is voluntary. As D.A.T.E. continues in its second year of operation with approximately…

A recent report published by the National Center on Performance Incentives (NCPI) presents findings from the second-year of a multi-year evaluation of the Texas Educator Excellence Grant (TEEG) program, a statewide educator incentive program that operated in Texas. As part of this larger study, evaluators examined how participation in the TEEG…

Texas' eighth annual evaluation of state-approved gifted/talented programs consists of four components: (1) an evaluation of operational programs; (2) a case study of high school gifted/talented programs; (3) an evaluation of developmental programs; and (4) a survey of districts without state-approved gifted/talented programs. The evaluation of…

Evaluation of Texas' statewide, 4-week Family Day Home Care Provider Program (FDHCPP) indicated that the program, with certain changes in procedures, should be continued. The FDHCPP used the existing network of Texas Agricultural Extension Service agents as managers to disseminate information to family day care providers on the topics of business…

The enabling legislation required a review of the Technology Workforce Development Grants program by an external expert evaluation team on a biennial basis. This program was designed to increase the number of engineering and computer science graduates and the number of collaborations among higher education institutions and private companies. At…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrition Education and Training Program (NET) provides nutrition information and instructional resources for children and for key individuals involved in children's learning environments. The latter category includes parents, educators, and food service personnel. This document describes formal evaluation…

The report highlights evaluations from the 1979-80 school year of 18 deaf/blind programs in Texas. Two previous years' findings are noted. Analysis of teacher and administrator questionnaires indicated an increase in the trend toward more uniform structuring of individualized education programs (IEPs). Programs were not as successful as the…

The purpose of this project was to determine the effectiveness of a pilot element of a statewide delivery system for career education as a method for preparing secondary teachers to be effective agents of world of work economic education information dissemination and attitudinal change. The primary objectives were: (1) To develop a pilot element…

This report outlines the major themes of the 2000 annual conference of the Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST), which focused on educational accountability in the 21st century. The conference opened with a panel presentation on the Texas accountability system. This session included a presentation by one of…