Purpose: This article presents findings from a study of six schools in the Together Initiative (TI), which facilitates increased school autonomy from districts and expands teacher decision-making authority. This study aims to understand how TI's theory of action changed structures, cultures, and agency as the concepts of "site-based…

This study sought to understand which aspects of current school accountability measures cause high school principals the most concern and what specific actions they were taking to address their concerns. This study took place in Genesee County Michigan. The primary method of data collection was semi-structured interviews. Thirteen traditional high…

The use of curriculum-based measures for the purpose of school-wide screening and progress monitoring of reading within school reform processes has been discussed extensively in the literature over the past several years. Little has been done, however, in terms of evaluating the predictive bias of these measures across ethnic groups, particularly…

National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC) was asked to identify essential elements for supporting high performance and provision of high quality early intervention Part C services as determined by the Annual Performance Review (APR) required under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). To respond, NECTAC…

This book illustrates how the ideal of servant leadership can be applied in your school today. With real-life scenarios, discussions, and self assessments, this book gives practical suggestions to help you develop into a caring and effective servant leader. There are 52 scenarios in this book, focusing on situations as varied as: (1) Dealing with…

This document is intended to assist State Education Agency (SEA) and Lead Agency (LA) staff and technical assistance providers in designing a meaningful evaluation for the State Performance Plan (SPP)/Annual Performance Report (APR) improvement activities. It provides: (1) information about the relevance of evaluation in the context of improvement…

Although the number of high-needs schools that are failing to achieve "Adequate Yearly Progress" (AYP) steadily increases, some are successfully increasing student achievement, staff productivity and collegiality. The purpose of this study was to use a three-round Delphi process to obtain the expert opinions of 10 administrators who…

A study investigated the implementation costs of direct lending in 77 diverse colleges and universities, including both increases and decreases in institutional expenditures. Results indicate that start-up costs varied greatly, that the institution's loan volume was related to the cost and savings experienced, and that costs and savings were…

The information provided in this guidebook is based on a field evaluation of grantees in the Institutional Conservation Program (ICP). The ICP, authorized by the National Energy Conservation Policy Act of 1978 and administered by the Department of Energy, provides energy audits and 50 percent matching grants for detailed energy analyses and for…

A study was conducted to (1) assess the relation of different CETA management decisions at the prime sponsor level to program goal achievement and (2) assess the conditions under which specific management decisions seem most likely to maximize goal achievement. Members of a research team visited 15 prime sponsorships throughout the United States…

Certain expectations that federal officials have about evaluation researchers are discussed. Included are: (1) presence of a clear understanding of what evaluation means; (2) procedure for carrying out an evaluation; and (3) understanding by the evaluator of how the research relates to the decision-making process. (Author/GK)

Two schools in Michigan received ARRA SIG (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act School Improvement Grants) funds to enable them to implement their improvement efforts. This paper describes the outcomes of these two ARRA SIG recipient schools: (1) Phoenix Elementary-Middle School; and (2) Arthur Hill High School. The experiences of these…

Cost Utility Analysis (CUA) is, basically, an administrative tool to be used in situations where making a choice among meaningful programs is necessary. It does not replace the administrator, but can provide a significant source of data for the decision maker. CUA can be a guide to the selection of an optimal program in terms of available funds,…

A hearing was held to obtain information about the General Services Administration's (GSA) decision to transfer responsibilities for establishing child care centers in federal buildings from its jurisdiction to that of the Office of Personnel and Management. Testifying before the subcommittee was the Acting General Services Administrator, Richard…

Discusses how to set the ambient standards for water and air based on cost-benefit analysis. Describes marginal analysis, the basis of cost-benefit analysis and how dynamic cost-benefit analysis is carried out with application to the automobile pollution problem. (HM)