Policymakers are proposing the use of outcome measures as indicators of effective principal preparation programs. The three most common metrics recommended are: (1) graduates' effectiveness in improving student achievement test scores, (2) graduate job placement rates, and (3) principal job retention once employed. This article explores the use of…

The Foundation Phase is a Welsh Government flagship policy of early years education (for 3-7 year-old children) in Wales. Marking a radical departure from the more formal, competency-based approach associated with the previous Key Stage 1 National Curriculum, it advocates a developmental, experiential, play-based approach to teaching and learning.…

Postsecondary early awareness strategies are a fast-growing component of college access to attainment efforts. Broadly defined, these programs and policies encourage low-income and first-generation students to gain the information, skills, and resources they need to successfully take part in higher education. They focus on students in fifth…

In an effort to reverse the reading crisis purported to plague public education, schools and districts are mandating prescriptive reading programs and teacher-centered instructional practices in hopes of improving the academic achievement of minority students, including English learners (ELs). The wide-spread implementation of these programs in…

Demonstrates the use of converging evidence in examining the effects of class size reduction on academic achievement. Estimates derived from three different types of evidence is mutually supportive in this instance, suggesting that the effect of class size reduction from 24 to 15 produces modest, but lasting, increases in academic achievement.…

Examines relationships among three principal elements of educational accountability: (1) assessment of achievement; (2) collection of educational indicators; and (3) setting of educational policy. Uses a Venn diagram to portray interactions among the three elements and emphasizes the importance of understanding value perspectives in…

Suggests a possible agenda for data collection for the Data on Vocational Education (DOVE) system over the next 5 to 10 years, examining two major categories of information: program outcomes, including student achievement and participation in further education and the labor force; and program characteristics, including attributes of programs and…

For years, experts have said that the way to get things done is to schedule them on the calendar and to find a partner to join in the effort. Following this advice, the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) joined the Leadership Initiative at WestEd in inviting superintendents and district teams to think through improving…

Analyzes shifts in Federal educational policy during the Reagan Administration. Finds the following changes: (1) modification of the basic Federal role; (2) growth and independence of the State role; and (3) development of Reagan's priority of academic excellence over educational equity. (FMW)

This report is organized in two volumes: Volume 1--"Executive Summary," and Volume 2--Main Report and Appendices." Volume 1 explains that the purpose of this study was to identify, review, and assess the literature concerned with postsecondary education of disadvantaged youth for internal validity, external validity, and policy utility. The…

The present report constituting "Volume 2--Technical Report" of the study is comprised of the main report and appendixes. For complete abstract, see UD 014 890 (Volume 1--Executive Summary). (JM)

In order to evaluate vocational agriculture education in 21 Connecticut high schools for the purposes of developing or updating curriculums, this study intended to: (1) determine employment rates of vocational agriculture graduates in agricultural areas, (2) determine post-secondary educational attainment levels, (3) determine variables affecting…

Thomas Pettigrew and his associates have missed the essential point of my study. The essential requirement for sound reasoning on this matter is observance of the distinction among the findings of science, the results of policy, and the dictates of law or morality. I studied the results of existing policies of induced school integration (all of…

In the most narrow sense, compensatory education has failed; most Title I programs which seek to improve achievement have no discernible effect. This is apparently a result of the fact that the programs seek to provide for disadvantaged students more of the school resources which have never been found to affect the achievement of advantaged…

An analysis of national programs for monitoring student achievement in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia found that political considerations in all three countries have inhibited the clarification of program objectives and the implementation of the technology required to generate meaningful information capable of reliable…