To advance equity, districts and schools must serve the whole person. Equitable outcomes are more likely to result when whole-person initiatives are implemented within an aligned and coherent system. If educators at every level of the K-12 system--from the state level to the classroom--work in aligned and coherent ways to sustain the conditions…

Online learning continues to grow at unprecedented rates. K-12 had more than 275,000 students enrolled in full-time virtual schools in 2011--2012 and over 2 million participating in at least one online course. Despite this growth, there is little research on model formation and model validation for online learning. Two research-based models were…

We used a comparative interrupted time series design to examine the impact of the Massachusetts' Wraparound Zone Initiative on student achievement, attendance, retention, and suspension. This initiative was designed to create coordinated district systems that allow schools to proactively and systematically address students' nonacademic needs. The…

Communities in Schools is one of the nation's oldest and largest providers of integrated student supports, also known as "wraparound services." Started in New York City in the 1970s, the agency now works with more than 2,300 schools in 25 states and the District of Columbia. The model is straightforward: Communities in Schools recruits,…

Within the Global Learning Programme (GLP) in England there has been an explicit focus on encouraging more holistic 'whole school' practice and the need for better evidence of its impact. This paper describes how support for a whole school approach to global learning was rationalised and developed within the programme, and how such an approach was…

Part I summarizes key topics of federal education policy articulating accountability requirements for state education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs, or school districts). In that section we describe major goals of the legislation and which components are the same or changed in the federal law. The findings are grouped into…

Naturalistic evaluation aims to portray a program holistically, summarizing and interpreting concerns and issues, and presenting consideration beyond the data from respondent and evaluation input. This article shows how this approach was used to evaluate certain Getty Institute Discipline-Based Art Education training programs. (MLH)

Staff development planners, trainers, and evaluators can increase the impact of the staff development activities when they view their work from multiple perspectives using the Centric Reflection Model. The model offers a visual representation of various types of reflection that can occur in training design, delivery, and evaluation. (SM)

Argues that assessment, evaluation, and reporting are intrinsically linked, and together form a cycle that provides information about individual students, the instructor, the course of study, and the educational environment. Offers educators a list of principles concerning assessment, evaluation, and reporting that challenges many current…

The Center for Excellence in Education at Northern Arizona University has learned a great deal from the past 5 years of research and evaluation of 15 pilot-test school districts, as they endeavor to restructure and make positive changes. The purpose of the reform movement is to provide adequate incentives for recruitment, retention, and motivation…

This study investigated self-efficacy as an outcome evaluation variable for a school personnel prevention training, "Enhancing Student Well-Being." A self-efficacy measure showed significant differences between trained educators and a comparison group. At followup, trained educators retained much of their self-efficacy gains. (SM)

Rethinking and expanding the theory of change underlying systems of care are recommended to support development of the knowledge base for understanding what systems of care can be expected to accomplish. Three domains of knowledge are presented as necessary to understanding the relationship between systems-level change and services. (Contains…

The objectives of this document are to assist teachers in understanding the holistic evaluation process, in developing a sound evaluative process for the school physical education program, in effectively communicating progress to students and parents, and in self-evaluating teacher performance and the program. The document includes basic…

Comprehensive health enhancement programs (CHEPs) are a curricular area required by new Montana accreditation standards. The curriculum combines the disciplines of health and physical education into an integrated, holistic, health-oriented program. A CHEP incorporates an expanded concept of health services--healthy school environment, employee…

Using both qualitative and quantitative data, the Office of Educational Assessment/Instructional Support Unit evaluated the 1985-1986 New York City Board of Education's Comprehensive Instructional Management Systems-Communication Arts (CIMS-CA) Project. The 1985-1986 CIMS-CA aimed to (1) implement an integrated communication arts program for…