An advisory group representing a broad range of education leaders and experts from across the Commonwealth participated in the Massachusetts Accountability System Review Advisory Committee between December 2023 and June 2024. This document describes the work of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to engage…

This report is the third in a three-part series examining how institutions of higher education have responded to state and federal policies limiting the use of transcript holds for unpaid balances. Ithaka S+R partnered with the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) to field the 2024 Transcript Hold…

This report analyzes the evolution and effectiveness of standards-based reforms in U.S. education. Starting from the increased federal involvement with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965 to the Goals 2000 launch of more recent reforms, the document explores the role of state governments in implementing systemic reforms aimed at…

In 2009 the Los Angeles Unified School District passed the Public School Choice Initiative, which aimed to give students in the lowest performing schools educational options. LA Pilot Schools are one option students and their families have when choosing a school in LAUSD. These schools boast small size, autonomy, greater accountability,…

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) passed the Public School Choice Initiative in 2009, with the aim of providing students in the lowest performing schools educational options. LA Pilot Schools represent one alternative students and their families have when choosing a school within LAUSD. The mission of LA Pilot Schools is to provide a…

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) passed the Public School Choice Initiative in 2009, with the aim of providing students in the lowest performing schools educational options. LA Pilot Schools represent one alternative students and their families have when choosing a school within LAUSD. The mission of LA Pilot Schools is to provide a…

Across the country, states and districts are designing principal evaluation systems as a means of improving leadership, learning, and school performance. Principal evaluation systems hold potential for supporting leaders' learning and sense of accountability for instructional excellence and student performance. Principal evaluation also is an…

This Quick Reference Document has been prepared by the Regional Resource Center Program ARRA/Fiscal Priority Team to aid RRCP State Liaisons and other (Technical Assistance) TA providers in understanding the general context of state questions surrounding excess cost. As a "first-stop" for TA providers in investigating excess cost…

Over the last few decades, governments of all political hues have introduced measures to regulate the development of the professional status of teachers in England. In the first part of the article, we compare and contrast how teachers from schools, colleges and universities are regulated by the state and the nature of the ITT qualifications and…

This letter is submitted to comment on the U.S. Department of Education's (ED) proposed revisions to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's (ARRA) State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF), as published in the September 23, 2011, Federal Register. Overall, the Data Quality Campaign believes the proposed changes strike a sensible balance: they…

Institutional research (IR) offices on campus are not all alike, any more than campuses are all alike. They may differ in their reporting line, range of responsibilities, level in the campus hierarchy, and work emphasis. Institutions differ in complexity (number and level of programs, colleges, and schools), size of the student body, affiliation,…

This study examined whether instructional policies at the local level are becoming standardized as a result of state and federal accountability initiatives. A stratified random sample of 21 Virginia school districts was used, and the policies reviewed covered seven topics: class size, student grouping, homework, remedial instruction programs,…

The paper discusses the major issues connected with the accreditation procedures in higher education system in the U.S. The questions raised are as follows: what are the reliable and credible indicators of quality instruction that could be measured in the process of accreditation of higher education institutions? How does greater transparency in…

This paper attempts to conceptualize, sort, and analyze national and state policies that have affected teacher education programs during the last 30 years. If teacher recruitment, preparation, licensing, and professional development are situated at the ropes center, then who is winning the tug-of-war over teacher education policy making. The paper…

This white paper examines the roles that various levels of government play through legislation, policy, and other initiatives that support quality alternative education programs to reconnect youth to education and the workplace. It raises issues for policymakers at all levels to consider in facilitating the development of expanded alternative…