The "Practitioner Data Use in Schools: Workshop Toolkit" is designed to help practitioners systematically and accurately use data to inform their teaching practice. The toolkit includes an agenda, slide deck, participant workbook, and facilitator's guide and covers the following topics: developing data literacy, engaging in a cycle of…

Student-Based Budgeting (sometimes called Weighted Student Funding, or Fair Student Funding, depending on the district) differs fundamentally from the traditional funding model, which distributes resources to schools in the form of staff and dollars designated for specific purposes. Student-Based Budgeting (SBB) allocates dollars to schools based…

As a charter school faces continued poor performance and the need to show drastic improvement in its data, school leaders are faced with a moral dilemma. To help the schools testing data, leaders consider being selective with whom they test. They consider whether they can help the short-term outcomes of the school while risking later consequences…

The authority to operate a charter school is granted through a limited-term, renewable contract. Contract renewal is not automatic--it must be earned through strong academic results and operational effectiveness. Good schools should be cultivated and poor ones shut down. This is one of the definitive functions of a charter school authorizer. This…

This comprehensive and practical handbook offers research-based tools to help you fulfill all of your leadership responsibilities on time and with laser-like focus. The authors also share tips from their combined experiences as elementary, middle, and high school principals. This book provides examples of best practices from the business and…

Effective, efficient, and sustainable ID/DD organizations: are they possible in today's world of dwindling resources and mounting demands for more and better services? Yes--with the practical tools and strategies in this lifeline for ID/DD leaders. Developed by two of the most trusted authorities in the disability field, this innovative business…

The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher selection practices in public high schools on Long Island, New York. More specifically, this study sought to identify criteria used to guide teacher selection, how the criteria are developed and used within the process, and the role of the principal in teacher selection. This research was…

Patterns of classes, grades, and test scores were studied in 3 successive graduating classes of a mid-western suburban high school. Descriptive statistics indicate that the prestigious college group had the highest mean scores on 23 variables. Descriptive discriminant analysis revealed the most influential variables were cumulative grade point…

High school graduation is an important milestone for students and their families, and plans for family gatherings and celebrations are often made early in the senior year. Despite the anticipation, some seniors will not graduate because of insufficient credits, disciplinary action, or failure to pass a state exam. Breaking the news to students and…

Examines the linkage between technological forecasting and corporate planning and offers nine tentative findings to help managers make decisions in practical situations. (Author)

Five definitions of evaluation are considered: (1) evaluation as measurement; (2) evaluation as the process used to determine how well prespecified objectives have been achieved in measurable performance; (3) evaluation as professional judgement; (4) evaluation as public opinion; and (5) evaluation as tax dollars. The advantages and disadvantages…

School executives can use a technique borrowed from business, "Strategic Planning," to introduce change and improvements into schools. (MLF)

The Delphi technique is a valuable tool for collecting and organizing data to help in making decisions and to help increase the probabilities that the decisions made will be productive ones. This paper focuses on the Delphi's role in the administrator's repertoire of data collection devices. (Author)

Describes graphically a simplified version of PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique), an instrument for organizing, planning, and implementing work projects. (KJ)

Information technology comprises the systems and tools that support and enhance the teaching, learning, and research processes of educational organizations. Outlines the variables to be considered when improving or updating information technology, including staff, infrastructure, hardware, software, improvement of services, and positioning for…