Accreditation is a process by which programs demonstrate their academic quality; that is, they demonstrate that they are making decisions for programmatic changes based on: (1) a sound theoretical foundation; (2) clearly stated mission, goals, and objectives; (3) a comprehensive self-study and thoughtful use of best practices; and (4) consistent,…

The "NADE Self-Evaluation Guides" are a compendium of best practices in four areas: (1) Tutoring Services; (2) Course-based Learning Assistance; (3) the Teaching & Learning Process; and (4) Developmental Coursework, also recently known as transitional, co-requisite, accelerated, or bridge programs, all of which are…

This article discusses how Roland G. Tharp and his colleagues from the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, & Excellence, a federal research center at the University of California, identify methods to help "nonmainstream" pupils make academic gains. Tharp has identified five standards that he says mark effective instruction…

Curriculum-based measurement is a system for monitoring students' progress and formatively evaluating instruction backed by 25 years of validation research. Most of this research has been conducted in elementary schools. In middle and high school classrooms, where there is an emphasis on mastering content knowledge, elementary-level measurements…

Education policymakers have long sought to establish teaching standards that will measure new or continuing teachers against these standards. The problem is, existing methods for certifying teachers have been criticized for being either so onerous as to deter good candidates or so lax as to keep weak teachers in the profession. To provide another…

This paper reports on activities undertaken to disseminate Student Team Learning (STL) processes and curriculum materials in schools and districts during fiscal year 1982. It also presents the results of a survey of people and institutions who ordered STL curriculum materials from the Center for the Study of Social Organization of Schools during…

This paper reports the status of the Profile of School Excellence (PRO-S/E) after three years use and the results of a second validation study. The PRO-S/E, used in over 20 school districts in six states, is a diagnostic system school districts use to determine strengths and weaknesses based on 11 characteristics of effective schools. Data is…

Evaluation of the Cabell County's (West Virginia) Program was based upon a list of program objectives directed toward improving student and community attitudes toward career education through a program of career exploration. Focus was on helping tenth grade students explore occupational interests and abilities in a school setting and at four…

The Regular Class Participation System (RCPS) project attempted to develop, implement, and validate a system for placing and maintaining students with severe disabilities in general education classrooms, with a particular emphasis on achieving both social and learning outcomes for students. A teacher-based planning strategy was developed and…

Since 1982-83, Spencerport Central School District (New York) has conducted a project to improve the educational program and student learning in each building of the district. This report provides a comprehensive overview of the project, focusing on five elementary schools. The project's goal for each building is that at least 95 percent of all…

The Division for Leadership Development at the Maryland State Department of Education was created by Dr. Nancy S. Grasmick, State Superintendent of Schools, in the summer of 2000. The mission of the Division for Leadership Development is to build the instructional leadership capacity of present and potential school leaders in the content and…

REEEP serves as an educational intervention providing direct services to "high risk" (of low birth weight--less than 5 1/2 pounds) 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children, living in the Clovis, New Mexico area. The program aims: to prevent school failure with an intervention program which includes early identification and remediation of…

Evaluation for a one-year period (1976-77) was conducted of the St. Charles Parish Schools (Louisiana) adaptation of the Experience Based Career Education (EBCE) prototype developed by Research for Better Schools, Inc. The EBCE program provided secondary school students with cognitive skills, career experiences, and personal perspectives which aid…

This report presents the results of an external evaluation of a model bilingual program for nursery school through third grade students in the municipal schools of Clovis and Portales, New Mexico. The project is divided into three programs--nursery school, kindergarten, and grades 1-3--designed to reach children with limited English-speaking…

Despite their vital role in open-access, two-year colleges, remedial education efforts have increasingly come under attack by legislators and the public, who view such programs as duplicating the appropriate function of high schools, and who believe that limited state resources should be devoted to more prestigious programs. For a college to…