This report is the first in a series by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) that examines the current status of states' teacher policies. Updated on a two-year cycle, each will cover a specific area of teacher policy. This report focuses on state teacher policies governing what states require in evaluations of both teachers and…

An increasing emphasis on principals as key to school improvement has contributed to efforts to elevate principal effectiveness that have taken various forms across the US. The primacy of the state as the focal point of educational reform elevates the value of understanding commonalities and differences among states in characteristics of…

The Houston Independent School District's (HISD) goal is to produce capable, confident young adults who are poised to excel in whatever they do. Whether they emerge from high school with dreams of pursuing higher education or choose to enter the workforce immediately, HISD wants its graduates to be ready to succeed. One way they assess their…

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania plans to develop a new statewide evaluation system for teachers and principals in its public schools by school year 2013-2014. To inform the development of this evaluation system, the Team Pennsylvania Foundation (Team PA) undertook the first phase of the Pennsylvania Teacher and Principal Evaluation…

Attempts to estimate a critical level of market concentration within the educational sector for Kentucky. The critical Herfindahl was estimated at 0.50. Counties experiencing a Herfindahl index at or above this number can expect, on average, a 1.6 percentage point decrease (or a 3% reduction) in student achievement scores. (MLH)

School principals have complex jobs. To better understand the work lives of principals, this study uses observational time-use data for all high school principals in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. This paper examines the relationship between the time principals spent on different types of activities and school outcomes including student…

This paper measures effective leadership preparation and assesses its relationship to what principals learn about leadership, their leadership practices, and school improvement progress and improved school climate (particularly for academic press and continuous improvement). This paper draws on survey research conducted in 2005 with 125 principals…

This document comprises the results of the 1987 Basic Activities Surveys, which measure the opinions of certified staff, classified staff, and parents concerning the instructional performance of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Participants were chosen using a stratified random sample technique to insure proportional…

This report presents a formative evaluation of the East Environmental Science Magnet High School in the Kansas City School District, Missouri. It presents data collected throughout the program's first year, including student demographics; program implementation information; achievement data; and perceptions of staff, parents, and students. An…

This report presents a summative evaluation of the first 3 years of the program of Knotts Environmental Science School in the Kansas City School District, Missouri. The school, which serves students in kindergarten through grade 5, began operation in 1988. The report focuses on the enrollment goals; the implementation of the program; the 1990-91…

This report presents a formative evaluation of the first year's program of Trailwoods Environmental Science School, a magnet elementary school in the Kansas City School District in Missouri. The school serves students in grades kindergarten through grade 5 and began operation in the fall of 1990. The report focuses on the implementation of the…

This report presents a formative evaluation of the Van Horn Engineering and Technology Magnet High School in the Kansas City School District, Missouri. It presents data collected throughout the program's first year, including student demographics, program implementation information, achievement data, and perceptions of the program held by staff…

This formative report presents data collected through the second year of full operation (1990-1991) of Nolin Middle School for Environmental Science, in the Kansas City School District, Missouri. The report focuses on student demographics; program implementation information; achievement data; and perceptions of staff, parents, and students of the…

Expanding and rethinking the nature of secondary education in Sub-Saharan African countries, traditionally reserved for elites and few others, are becoming crucial to successful individual and national participation in the global economy. As governments and donors turn their attention increasingly to secondary education, policies are being…