In this book, best-selling author Susan M. Brookhart helps teachers and administrators understand the critical elements and nuances of assessment data and how that information can best be used to inform improvement efforts in the school or district. Readers will learn: (1) What different kinds of data can--and cannot--tell us about student…

Instructional materials are a key means to achieving the goals of science education--an enterprise that yields unique and worthwhile benefits to individuals and society. As states and districts move forward with adoption and implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) or work on improving their instruction to align with "A…

Overcome budget cuts, lack of leadership, top-down mandates, and other obstacles to professional development by using this book's take-charge approach. Joseph H. Semadeni guides you through a systemic method to professional development that: (1) Motivates teachers to continuously learn and apply best practices; (2) Makes adult learning activities…

When a classroom is opened to inquiry-based learning, teachers can no longer rely solely on traditional end-of-unit tests. "Seamless Assessment" is a one-stop guide to strategies that mirror the investigatory spirit. Working with the popular 5E model as an instructional framework, the authors have designed methods for embedding formative and…

A guide and handbook for planners, developers, and evaluators of educational programs and products, this book discusses the various settings in which an evaluator commonly works and the many roles he performs. The book divides the evaluator's work into three activities: establishing perspective, planning the evaluation, and analyzing the data.…

The guide describes for colleges and universities how to establish and conduct a program of continuous improvement of administrative operations. An objective appraisal-review process is described that relies on mobilizing the pool of managerial and analytical talent already existing at every institution. For decisionmakers, an overview of…

This book describes the steps and tools of Total Quality Management (TQM) and their use in the academic units of colleges and universities for Total Quality Improvement (TQI), illustrated by a case study from the School of Arts & Sciences at a state university. Section 1 explains how to: (1) identify problems contributing to non-value-added…

This is the third of three works that lay the basis for a new approach to architecture, building, and planning. At the core of these books is the idea that people should design for themselves their own houses, streets, and communities. Although the idea implies a radical transformation of the architectural profession, it comes from the observation…

Six papers from a Phi Delta Kappa symposium on educational accountability begin with an examination of accountability both as a goal and a process for achieving a goal, particularly from the state education agency perspective. The second paper, prepared from the vantage point of the teacher, asks questions about the development of accountability…

The readings in this ready-reference report on specific program evaluations, offer critical guidance in the development and utilization of instruments for assessing gifted and talented programs, and are designed to stimulate the discussion of issues surrounding the evaluation of gifted programs. Key features include: (1) Carolyn M. Callahan's…

This publication presents a set of successfully field-tested teaching procedures for helping children in grades 3-6 generate a working economic system in their classroom. The developer believes that children will learn economic concepts through real, as opposed to vicarious, experience by playing active, rather than passive, roles in learning…

This collection of essays explores a new paradigm of higher education. The first essay, "Beyond Re-engineering: Changing the Organizational Paradigm" (L. Edwin Coate), suggests a model of quality process management and a structure for managing organizational change. "Thinking About Consortia" (Mary Jo Maydew) discusses…

This general curriculum model for adult and continuing education courses offers theoretical and practical models that provide a framework within which adult educators can make informed decisions about curriculum planning. Chapter 1 introduces the general curriculum model and its various elements. The following five chapters describe and explain…

This text introduces the concepts of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and shows how they can be used in the classroom. A quality classroom is defined as one in which everyone in the class knows the objectives of the class and adopts a quality philosophy to continuously improve the work done to meet those objectives. The general principles and…

Recent documents like the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics'"Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics" have described coming changes in the mathematics curriculum and evaluation. Operating from the point of view that instruction and assessment are closely linked, that good teachers constantly assess students…