We analyze the rollout of a Statewide Dual-Credit (SDC) program intended to expand access to college-level courses during high school. We find that SDC increased early postsecondary course-taking among students in the middle of the achievement distribution, especially through courses in vocational subjects, without decreasing participation in…

Applying item response theory, and the Rasch model in particular, to measure trends and examine policy coherence in state education reform shows a change in the picture of state leadership and a generalized pattern of policy making among the states. Using item response theory in policy analysis is explored. (SLD)

It is argued that school administrators at the state, district, or building level should review and evaluate policy in addition to their more traditional roles in implementation. This exercise of leadership should provide a more comprehensive response to policy initiatives. (SLD)

The educational reform strategies of Texas, California, and South Carolina are examined as they relate to reform outcomes. The current effort toward educational excellence must shift its focus from regulation and compliance monitoring to mobilization of institutional capacity. (SLD)

A case study of a second grade teacher's classroom approach to implementing the California Mathematics Curriculum Framework (CMCF) is presented. Carol Turner's approach seems to have been untouched by the policy initiative. This case highlights the complexity of changes implied by the CMCF and difficulties inherent in communicating those changes.…

An overview of five case studies and ancillary essays on teacher implementation of the California Mathematics Curriculum Framework is provided. The dilemma of the teacher as the traditionalist versus the teacher as innovator is underscored. Research of this nature provides insights into how instructional policy and teaching practice affect each…

A typology of educational monitoring systems is developed, emphasizing its usefulness for educational policymakers. Compliance monitoring, diagnostic monitoring, and performance monitoring are three major types, which are illustrated via case studies in New Jersey, Minnesota, and California, respectively. (SLD)

Behavioral definitions are provided for the following four basic values that drive state educational policymaking: (1) choice; (2) efficiency; (3) equity; and (4) quality. How these values are distributed by the priorities of policymakers is discussed and illustrated through examination of the values of Illinois and Wisconsin. (SLD)

Five case studies of implementation of instructional policy changes at the classroom level by elementary-school mathematics teachers are discussed. The case studies focus on California's new Mathematics Framework. The interaction between teacher practice and policy is emphasized. Teachers' inherited beliefs, knowledge, and existing practices are…

This case study examines the perspectives and practice of elementary mathematics teaching of a second grade teacher (Cathy Swift) in a large, socioeconomically disadvantaged California community as she attempts to implement California's Mathematics Curriculum Framework. This teacher's beliefs/knowledge and policy influences often conflicted. (TJH)

This case study assesses the adoption of the California Mathematics Curriculum Framework by a second grade teacher. Although the teacher perceives herself as successfully implementing the curriculum, observation indicates that the innovations have been filtered through a very traditional approach. The result is a remarkable melange of novel and…

An introduction to five case studies of mathematics teachers and ancillary essays on implementation of instructional policy change at the classroom level is provided. The case studies and associated discussions focus on California's new Mathematics Framework, which features changes in textbooks, tests, and commonly held conceptions of subject…

A commentary on five case studies of implementation of instructional policy change at the classroom level by elementary school mathematics teachers is provided. The case studies focus on California's new Mathematics Framework. An organizational control perspective is taken in this commentary. (TJH)

This case study depicts a "traditional" fifth grade teacher's approach to implementing the California Mathematics Curriculum Framework. This teacher's beliefs and knowledge and their interplay with the state curriculum directives, his accountability to his students, and his commitment to their success are examined, with emphasis on the…

The Minnesota Business Partnership (MBP) was studied as a policy innovator in state school reform (for kindergarten through grade 12) in relation to agenda setting, alternative formulation, and authoritative enactment. Focus is on the MBP's policy-making involvement during the 1985 state legislative session. Overall, the MBP's influence was…