This article argues that the last three decades of school improvement policies have progressively limited the places and arguments created for arts education in public schools. The result has been a steady marginalization of the arts in the work of school improvement, an exacerbation of opportunity gaps related to access to arts education, and a…

The "statewide system of support," a feature of Congress's 1994 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, provided an organizational framework for a "managerial" approach to school improvement that was accelerated in No Child Left Behind (2001). When Congress temporarily flooded states with economic…

Nationally, there are dozens of established indicators of school performance and thousands of possible combinations of those indicators to create an accountability framework. How do policy makers decide which variables are most important? This relates to measurement modeling -- that is, how to incorporate all pieces of the puzzle into a…

This review of the literature examines online learning as a core strategy for bold, dramatic curricular reform within transformational or turnaround models in improving low-performing K-12 schools. The analysis of the literature in this area found benefits of online learning in transforming and turning around low-performing schools to include: (a)…

Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, schools were held almost exclusively accountable for absolute levels of student performance. But that meant that even schools that were making great strides with students were still labeled as "failing," just because the students had not yet made it all the way to a "proficient" level…

A history of the achievement levels for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) could be documented in different ways. A chronological history might be the obvious approach, but in the author's view, that could miss the most salient aspects of setting student performance standards on an assessment like NAEP. Further, new initiatives…

The passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2001 brought new urgency to the task of turning around low-performing schools. While many schools have been identified as needing improvement under NCLB, only a small percentage have failed to make progress for long enough--six years--to be subject to restructuring, the most serious consequence…

This report describes Michigan's school restructuring efforts under the No Child Left Behind Act, and includes findings from case studies of nine schools in four school districts: Detroit Public Schools, Flint Community Schools, Harrison Community Schools, and Willow Run Community Schools. Key findings from the report include: (1) more Michigan…

The Improving America's Schools Act amends the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act making professional development a central component of its emphasis on improving teaching and learning through Titles I and II. A statement of principles of high quality professional development has been issued in support. (SLD)

Reviews national policy initiatives that have supported local efforts for school improvement. These include the reauthorized Title I program (Improving America's Schools Act of 1994) and the enactment of the Goals 2000 Act. Discusses the five themes identified by the U.S. Department of Education as essential for comprehensive educational…

Title 1 is the centerpiece of the 1994 Improving America's Schools Act. Currently funded at $7 billion, the program serves over 6.5 million children in two-thirds of the nation's elementary schools. The law shifts program administration responsibility to local districts and distributes funds based on the number of poor children in a school. (MLH)

This paper provides an overview of U.S. Department of Education programs authorized and funded under federal law. It includes information as well on the laboratories, centers, and other facilities funded by the Department that provide important resources for education. Readers will find funding information, contact information, and a web site for…

As educators work to pull together the various components of the Improving America's Schools Act, they must not lose sight of its central purpose, increasing children's learning. Guidance and assistance for low-achieving students must accompany a mind-set of higher expectations for achievement. (SLD)

These hearings transcripts present testimony regarding reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). "Chapter 1" of this legislation is a central part of federal education policy. Education is currently funded at about $7 billion a year; an additional $700 million, or 10 percent, is budgeted for the coming fiscal…

The Title VI programs of the Austin Independent School District (AISD), Texas, are described. Title VI provides federal funds to states under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended in 1994. Title VI is intended to contribute to the improvement of elementary and secondary educational programs in both public and private…