Schools of the Dallas Independent School District have developed procedures to implement and monitor school improvement measures. The district aims to improve student achievement in four areas: functional literacy, mathematics, reading, and basic language arts. Participants in instructional improvement include teachers, principals, administrators,…

This paper provides an overview of traditional administrator evaluation and compensation approaches based on control in three areas: certification, position, and time. Recent research suggests that compensation based solely on acquiring proper academic requirements, responsible positions, or additional experience is unlikely to increase school…

To discover the ways that superintendents describe their perceptions and beliefs regarding their roles as instructional leaders, researchers interviewed 81 California superintendents selected on the basis of continuing upward trends in student achievement in their districts over a 3-year period. The participants were divided into nine groups that…

School/site-based management requires shifting the initiative in public schools from legislators, school boards, superintendents, central administrative offices, and unions, to individual schools. The purpose of school/site-based management is to increase student achievement and success by making those closest to the delivery of educational…

The paper examines varieties of program assessment in institutions of higher education and proposes a procedure to implement systematic assessment of program outcomes. Presented in a question-and-answer format, the paper first addresses common faculty concerns about formal assessment in sections titled, "Why Not Use GPA (Grade Point Average)?" and…

Jobs should be perceived in terms of their roles in achieving organizational objectives. As those objectives shift, jobs should be redefined. Job performance evaluations should focus on results rather than on activities. Job planning should involve both the organization and the individual job holder. Appendixes cover head teachers' job…

Providing information on assessment and institutional effectiveness programs in South Carolina, this two-part document describes the use of performance indicators (PI's) and presents state guidelines for institutional effectiveness. The first part discusses assessment in South Carolina, indicating that institutions are required to develop measure…

Teacher evaluation procedures, if ineptly accomplished, are potentially vulnerable to litigation (which most school districts can ill afford), because there is no consensus as to what constitutes effective teaching; hence the validity of rating systems and/or reliability of observations is open to challenge. Accordingly, the evaluation policies…

This paper represents a backdrop from which to consider the development of a planning and budgeting model for local education agencies. The first part of the presentation describes the demands and external pressures that affect resource allocation decisions in school districts. The ability of local school officials to link the cost consequences…

Key shortcomings in current mainstream strategies of pharmaceutical education include (1) poor integration of basic sciences and clinical curriculum components; (2) curricular information overload and resulting problems; and (3) emphasis on research over teaching and service. Students need to learn teamwork, accountability, positive practice…

This speech examines the new widespread support of geographic mobility in Europe's higher education community. Elements in this trend include official programs of exchange among countries, policies supporting cooperation, and a new willingness and ability of institutions to accept public scrutiny. Institutions are urged to back their commitments…

This study focuses on school report cards as an accountability tool, and on how their use interacts with one of the most persistent problems facing the public education system, i.e., the continuing underachievement of minority students. The paper looks specifically at the issues concerning the desirability of reporting student performance by race…

Recent debates regarding the crisis in American education have led to two essentially contradictory positions: one calling for a movement away from a unified concept of education toward a concept which recognizes and incorporates diversity; and the other calling for increased accountability on all levels of education. The purpose of this paper is…

Four of the policy statements for vocational education developed by the Wisconsin Board of Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education reflect concerns shared in the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education. First, vocational education is accountable to the publics, namely students, employers, and state, local, and…

This paper describes a survey of Texas teacher education programs. The programs investigated whether increased pressure on K-12 teachers to prepare students for mandated tests contributed to dissonance between higher education's expectations for field experiences and preservice students' actual experiences. A questionnaire was mailed to the…