This document was created as a resource to identify and describe four properties of effective resource allocation systems to help anchor the resource allocation review process in the State of Illinois and build districts' understanding of these properties. An effective resource allocation system will have the following properties: (1)…

Although current accountability systems have received a great deal of criticism for being too narrow and too focused on sanctions, relatively little concern has been directed at a related problem: the failure of accountability systems to meaningfully engage the public. Derek Gottlieb and Jack Schneider suggest that a better system would consider…

This comprehensive strategic plan lays out a vision for an education system that offers every Rhode Island student the opportunity to be a lifelong learner. While this plan is informed by the events of the pandemic, it looks beyond to address the root issues that impede students from thriving at every level of their education. It lays out…

This "Eighth Annual Report Card" tracks progress on Boston's goals for educating learners of all ages. The report lays out Boston Opportunity Agenda's current metrics, the baseline that has been established for the future, and the progress to be made over the course of the next five years. This report card contains the most up-to-date…

The "Seventh Annual Report Card" provides the most up-to-date information available on Boston's education pipeline, from kindergarten through college graduation, including measures for school readiness, 3rd-grade reading proficiency, 6th-grade mathematics proficiency, 10th-grade academic proficiency, high school completion, dropout…

This "Sixth Annual Report Card" reflects the progress that is being made throughout Boston's entire education pipeline. More than 77,000 school-age children live in the City of Boston. The vast majority, 93%, attend a school in the Boston Public Schools system, a Boston Charter public school, or a Boston Catholic school. The goal with…

This "Fourth Annual Report Card" marks a new chapter for the Boston Opportunity Agenda. For the first time, the Boston Opportunity Agenda is reporting student outcomes across Boston Public Schools and Catholic and charter schools. This provides a comprehensive baseline view of the education pipeline for the city's K-12 students. The…

This "Third Annual Report Card" looks at improvements in the cradle-to-career educational pipeline, the areas where Boston has made modest progress but still has a great deal of work to do, and the places where observers have failed to see the gains that are needed to ensure that Boston is a city of opportunity for all. This report card…

Describes how Lawndale District, near Los Angeles, developed a system of accountability starting with the superintendent. Describes the subgoals and objectives developed by the superintendent in cooperation with the Board of Trustees and members of the community. (JF)

In a companion article, Robert F. Bundy criticized accountability as being a contrived smokescreen to confuse the public and district attention from the real issues facing American schools. He called for a deschooling and deprofessionalization of American education. Critiques his views. (Author/JF)

Describes the movement to make new assessments powerful levers for school improvement, restructuring, and accountability. Suggests the dangers posed by accountability-inspired external assessments. The primary condition for effective assessment is that teachers, principals, and the community be at the center of the assessment enterprise. Profiles…

The Phi Delta Kappa Educational Planning Model is analyzed and proves to be a reliable technique for assessing educational goals when used by a group of students, teachers, and community members. (JD)

Describes a process used to involve community, staff, and students in goal-setting in the Australian Open College of Further Education. (JM)

Project USHER (Uniting Science and Humanness for Educational Redesign) is a management model which unites the concepts of management by objectives and participative management. This article reviews the rationale for such a model, describes the model, and outlines steps needed for successful implementation of this systematic approach to educational…

Notes that if the school really belongs to the community, then administrators have no more right to put a kid out of his school than to put their children out of the house. Discusses the implications of this ideology. (Author/AM)