In 1988, when a Maine test failed to measure educational accountability in Vermont, portfolios constituted the bottom-up response to needed reform. In 1990, Kentucky's Educational Reform Act mandated assessment by performance-based tasks, including portfolios. Both states feature scoring criteria (rubrics) based on four performance levels and…

To increase students' problem-solving abilities, the New York State New Compact for Learning requires schools to do more interdisciplinary, community-based work. Fairport High School's venture exploring the European Union evolved from Connections, a school-within-a-school program serving highly able students. Cooperation among three departments…

The Princeton Peer Leadership Program, which evolved from Sharon Rose Powells' doctoral research in the 1970s, trains seniors to serve as mentors to high school freshmen. The program involves the freshmen in school life and with students outside their social cliques, breaks down social and cultural barriers, and exposes the universality of many…