Forty-two states and the District of Columbia have recently received waivers to the school accountability requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). As the prospects for reauthorizing the Act in the near term are dim, these new accountability systems will be law for at least several years. Drawing on a four-part framework from the…

A growing body of research showing that grade retention serves as an educationally low-quality placement has raised increasing concerns about whether the use of standardized tests in making decisions concerning grade retention conforms to current standards for appropriate and nondiscriminatory test use. This article examines the extent to which…

The authors of this article consider how education researchers can improve school violence and school safety research by (a) examining gaps in theoretical, conceptual, and basic research on the phenomena of school violence; (b) reviewing key issues in the design and evaluation of evidence-based practices to prevent school violence; and (c)…

Presents a history of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), focusing on procedural changes from 1969 to date and questions whether NAEP results should be used for accountability purposes. It recommends that NAEP should be insulated from reform efforts and that NAEP's monitoring of population levels of educational achievement…

Highlights several articles that raise questions about the role of research in educational reform. These articles argue over the use of National Assessment of Educational Progress results for accountability purposes; and the advisability of using cost-benefit analysis in critiquing educational reform proposals, and particularly, in evaluating the…

Discusses the following aspects of educational evaluation: (1) structural changes; (2) conceptual changes; (3) mixed methods and unraveling consensus; (4) utilization of findings; (5) the role of values; and (6) the role of politics. Discusses how evaluation moved from monolithic to pluralistic, reflecting the change from consensus to pluralism in…

Analyzes the concept and purposes of school delivery standards. Argues against using school delivery standards for accountability, but supports school process standards to create a vision of what education can be. School performance standards that lead to school input and process indicators would provide useful insights. (SLD)

Discusses the use of transaction-cost economics in measuring the impact of educational reforms and whether these reforms are likely to succeed in the "real life" of schools. Several current educational reforms are judged on the basis of their transaction costs and consequent prospects for success. (GR)

Identifies important criteria for assessing the quality of educational research and applies these 20 identified criteria to 2 recent international comparative studies in education, the Second International Science Study and the first International Assessment of Educational Progress. The major types of criteria are utility, propriety, and accuracy.…