Teacher perceptions after 5 years of implementing evaluation protocols that were initiated under Race to the Top revealed attitudes about the evaluation instrument used and the nature of their relationship with the evaluator. This study surveyed middle and high school teachers in nine Eastern Tennessee school districts. Data indicated unintended…

This study reports on four urban middle- and high school principals' emotionally shaped sense making of Race to the Top policies and their ability to balance the competing demands of teachers' emotional needs with the charge to implement mandated, accountability-driven, instructional, and evaluation changes in their schools. Despite the pressure…

This study examined approximately 6,500 Florida students' reading and mathematics performance when taught by a sample of teachers who obtained their teaching credentials through the Troops to Teachers program. Results indicated that students served by Troops teachers performed about equally well in reading and achieved a small but statistically…

The recent policy focus on the turnaround of persistently low-achieving schools has generated considerable debate about the reforms needed to dramatically and quickly increase school performance. The purpose of this article is not to focus on specific turnaround interventions, but rather on the identification of schools slated to receive these…

The startup of 465 federal 21st Century Community Learning Center Programs has propelled the idea of school/community collaboration onto national and local agendas. Collaborative action teams in the Southwest have identified three factors that encourage collaboration: the organizing group's commitment and diversity, administrative and campus…

The American education agenda suggests a clear commitment to the development of programs and practices to increase equitable participation in higher education. During a time when equity-based policy initiatives are under attack in the United States, governmental TRIO Programs remain one proven pathway for ensuring college preparedness and access…

This article discusses national, state, and local youth service, noting the initiatives of 1984-5, the association of national youth services with the military draft, some keys to deriving maximum value from youth service initiatives, and the outcomes that can be anticipated from a youth service program. (DCS)

Knowing and contacting your congressman is an important part of every educator's efforts to influence legislation and to be politically alert, writes the author, but also important is knowing how the federal agencies most closely related to education are organized and operate. He gives a bird's eye view here. (Editor)

Job Training and Partnership Act programs can provide schools with a variety of options and resources for building Education for Employment programs to meet the needs of at-risk students. These programs focus on basic academic skills, work maturity skills, and job-specific skills. (Author/TE)

Most states have only a 2-year foreign-language requirement for college-bound students. Two 1999 federal initiatives--the Foreign Language Education Improvement Amendments and the Educational Excellence for All Children Act--provide support for expanding foreign-language education opportunities. Four exemplary Georgia middle-school programs are…

The author gives his rationale for career education, explains why the Office of Education refuses to define the term too precisely, and makes a plea for unification of technical and liberal education. (Editor)

Argues that government programs and regulations have hampered the effectiveness of public education, that efforts to involve parents and students in the running of schools have not resulted in democratic governance, and that giving adult rights to adolescents has created an imbalance of authority. Offers suggestions for correcting the imbalances.…

Senator advises principals and other school administrators to speak out and to voice their concerns about how government funds are spent. (Editor)

Attempts to make sense of a rather confused picture of the varied factors, agencies, and influences concerned with and affecting policy regarding arts education. Presents highlights of a proposal by the Assembly of National Arts Education Associations concerning the federal government's role in arts education. (Author/JM)

A review of some of the factors determining the effectiveness of the principal as an instructional leader over the past three decades provides background to a consideration of the current national reform movement, and related cautions and challenges for the principal. (DCS)