This document presents information on one school district's approach to the introduction of success-based instruction. The first section defines success-based instruction, also called "predictable learner mastery" (PLM) and the requirements for having an operational system. The second section compares mastery learning with the PLM system…

Presents multilevel analyses of a large-scale educational improvement effort conducted in seven urban schools over a two-year period. Consistent high-to-moderate relationships were found between observed level of model implementation and classroom achievement gains in reading. Concludes that major improvement in inner-city schools is possible. (DR)

Discusses the technique of measuring program implementation, describing an effort to evaluate and refine the implementation of an innovative instructional model and examining the implications of this project for future research. (MCG)

In 1987, the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and 13 Southern states formed the SREB-State Career/Technical Education Consortium and established two goals. One goal is to increase the percentages of career-oriented students who complete a planned sequence of career/technical (CT) courses and a challenging academic core in English/language…

In this Education Policy Brief, Indiana University's Center for Evaluation and Education Policy and Indiana Institute on Disability and Community tackle major policy questions regarding publicly-funded prekindergarten programs: Why should Indiana invest in prekindergarten? Who should be served? What should prekindergarten look like in Indiana? And…

Schools committed to the success of all children must have an array of activities designed to enable learning by addressing barriers to learning. An enabling component for schools encompasses six areas of program activity. This unit, "Introduction to Classroom Focused Enabling as a Key Element in Addressing Barriers to Student Learning," is the…

The Diversified Education through Leadership, Technology, and Academics (DELTA) program of the Austin Independent School District (AISD), Texas, serves students at each of the AISD 10 regular high schools. The goal of this open-entry, open-exit, competency-based diploma program is to recover former dropouts and to prevent students at risk of…

Describes the development and implementation of New York City's School Improvement Project (SIP), a program designed to improve schools through school-based planning groups. Discusses the program structure and outcomes, and indicates that SIP schools with greater student achievement show more commitment to the SIP process. (Author/MJL)

Describes Trenton (New Jersey) Public Schools' pilot project involving 600 year-round elementary students that follow 45-15 or 60-20 schedules. Aimed at improving at-risk students' achievement, the program is progressing remarkably well. Teachers say year-round students are learning more and forgetting less. There are fewer discipline problems and…

To discover whether the salubrious effects of parental involvement hold for inner-city students, a Chicago elementary school researched, planned, implemented, and evaluated a broad-based parental participation program serving third-graders. Participating students' reading achievement improved by four months, and parents' interest in education…

In the Philadelphia Public Schools, a computer system called Data to Success has been created to assess student progress prior to end-of-year testing. The five-stage system allows a school to influence teacher decisions, identify student warning signs, and monitor important trend and analysis information throughout the school year. (MLH)

According to advocate Robert J. Marzano, standards are the only policy mandate that can significantly improve student achievement. The standards identification process was clumsy, but started a national conversation about desirable subject-area knowledge requirements. Standards content should be cut by two-thirds; teacher-made tests can be…

The increasing emphasis on accountability in early care and education has created an opportunity for programs to revisit their child assessment practices. This article presents a model for using authentic assessment practices to document children's progress toward a set of program standards, specifically the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework, as…

This paper describes the design principles, instructional practices, and specific curricula of Direct Instruction--one example of focused, systematic, explicit instruction. At a time when public schools are increasingly held accountable for students' achievement and for closing and preventing the achievement gap between minority/disadvantaged and…

The study used an adaptation of Provus' discrepancy evaluation model to evaluate a distance teacher education program in the University of Cape Coast, the premier teacher education institution in Ghana. The study involved comparing performance data of the program as perceived by students and faculty/administrators to standards prepared from the…