Lack of access to gifted education is prevalent, yet preventable for Black and Hispanic students. Years of data from the Office for Civil Rights and national reports reveal that deficit thinking, prejudice, and discrimination must be at work, thus compromising the educational experiences of gifted students of color. In this article, the authors…

Research has demonstrated that principals have a powerful impact on school improvement and student learning. Principals play a vital role in recruiting, developing, and retaining effective teachers; creating a school-wide culture of learning; and implementing a continuous improvement plan aimed at increasing student achievement. Leithwood, Louis,…

Using data from the National Center for Educational Statistics, this article examines the relationship between strength of state accountability policy (i.e., external accountability) and internal accountability, defined as a school-level system in which collective behaviors and conditions exist that direct the attention and effort of the internal…

In January of 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the "No Child Left Behind Act" of 2001 (NCLB). NCLB, which passed through Congress with overwhelming support from both Republican and Democratic members, was predicated on four basic objectives to address pervasive problems within America's public schools: (1) school…

This descriptive analysis provides a statistical profile of California's Title I school districts in program improvement. As an independent analysis of these districts in the aggregate, it is intended to inform the context for district improvement as California rolls out and refines its district intervention strategies. A key finding of this study…

This report summarizes work conducted to date through the Senior Urban Education Research Fellowship (SUERF) awarded by the Council of the Great City Schools to the Value-Added Research Center (VARC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for work in the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). VARC has utilized its Fellowship award, entitled…

This study examines the relationship between high-stakes school accountability and its effects upon student test scores and school policies. The authors seek to understand the extent to which accountability sanctions and incentives for the poorest-performing schools in Florida explain subsequent changes in school practices and policies as well as…

This study investigated the relationship between the scales used for the NDSA assessments and the RIT scales used to report performance on Northwest Evaluation Association tests. The study estimated the changes in reading and mathematics RIT score equivalents for the NDSA performance levels in those subjects. Test records for more than 9,000…

While numerous recent authors have studied the effects of school accountability systems on student test performance and school "gaming" of accountability incentives, there has been little attention paid to substantive changes in instructional policies and practices resulting from school accountability. The lack of research is primarily…

Teachers' conceptions of assessment can be understood in terms of their agreement or disagreement with four purposes to which assessment may be put, specifically, (a) improvement of teaching and learning, (b) school accountability, (c) student accountability, or (d) treating assessment as irrelevant. A 50-item Teachers' Conceptions of Assessment…

This report provides a comprehensive summary of statistical data on the state of education in Alabama. It is divided into eight sections: (1) General school information (students, staffing); (2) State accountability (adequate yearly progress status, adequate yearly progress summary); (3) Student academic performance (Alabama reading and…

A youngster failing to thrive in one environment needs an alternative learning situation. Research shows that small, personalized schools offering authentic, engaging curricula are essential for reaching unsuccessful learners. The test-score craze can be contained by publicizing other numbers regarding consequences: absence rates, dropouts,…

This report summarizes the 1990-91 State Performance Reports for the Chapter 1 (Education Consolidation and Improvement Act) local education agency (LEA) program and the Chapter 1 State Agency Neglected or Delinquent program. Chapter 1 represents the largest investment in elementary and secondary education of the Federal government. With the…

The project grant objectives for fiscal year 1978 for the Chicago Regional Project serving handicapped children are analyzed in relation to seven student related objectives and one facility staff related objective. Statistical data for objectives in the following areas are included: self help skills, motor development, communication skills,…

This report describes the purpose, funding, services, administration, and effectiveness of 145 programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education during fiscal year 1991; and briefly covers planned studies. It outlines 35 Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, 4 Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs, 36 Office…