The Department of Education (Education) provided more than $125 billion in federal student aid funds in fiscal year 2016 to help students pay for higher education. To participate in federal student aid programs, postsecondary schools must be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by Education. This report examines: (1) the strengths and…

Teachers are responsible for using evidence-based practices to improve students' academic and behavioral outcomes. Although teachers have access to a variety of resources on evidence-based practices, poor implementation can adversely affect their effectiveness. However, an inadequate student response to intervention may also be the result of…

In this commentary, we examine Braverman's insights into the trade-offs between feasibility and rigor in evaluation measures and reject his assessment of the trade-off as a zero-sum game. We, argue that feasibility and policy salience are, like reliability and validity, intrinsic to the definition of a good measure. To reduce the tension between…

Preschool classrooms generate a host of data that can be used to inform program improvement. This article suggests ways to document child-level data and mentoring protocols in a way that makes the information usable to teachers and can positively influence child outcomes.

Effective principals are those who boost academic achievement for all students, increase the effectiveness of their teaching staffs, and consistently take leadership actions shown to improve outcomes for students. Therefore principal evaluation systems should place 70% of their weight on the ability of principals to increase student achievement…

In large-scale assessments, such as state-wide testing programs, national sample-based assessments, and international comparative studies, there are many steps involved in the measurement and reporting of student achievement. There are always sources of inaccuracies in each of the steps. It is of interest to identify the source and magnitude of…

Teacher evaluation has emerged as a major focus for reform at the highest levels of education policymaking, and for good reason. Most evaluations are based on scant evidence of actual effectiveness, produce inflated ratings, and provide teachers with little useful feedback. This paper offers policymakers and practitioners important "lessons…

This commentary highlights the work of the Collaborative for Building After-School Systems (CBASS), a collaborative of mature, city and county-wide nonprofit OST intermediaries, to develop and adopt common youth-, program- and system-level measures that are easy and cost-effective for local systems to implement. By agreeing to adopt and publicly…

Since the first child care Quality Rating System (QRS) was implemented in Oklahoma 11 years ago (in 1998), 16 additional statewide systems have been launched and numerous states are piloting or developing a QRS (Zaslow, Tout, & Martinez-Beck, forthcoming). As QRS stakeholders across the nation look ahead to the next decade, it is important to take…

This Local Education Agency (LEA) Self Analysis Instrument for ESEA Title I is one of the products developed and validated by the SEA (State Educational Agencies) Management of Compensatory Education, a multistate project funded through ESEA Title V-505. An additional product of the project was a LEA Process Model said to support the…

Six elementary school principals and their staff members, participants in the West Virginia Model Schools Project, used a curriculum evaluation instrument ("Criteria of Excellence") at the beginning and end of a two-year project to improve their reading programs. The results were used to provide formative and needs assessment data,…

This State Education Agency (SEA) Process Model Instrument for ESEA Title I is one of the products developed and validated by the SEA (State Educational Agencies) Management of Compensatory Education, a multistate project funded through ESEA Title V-505. Representatives from each State Educational Agency, their selected Local Education Agencies,…

This Local Education Agency (LEA) Process Model Instrument for ESEA Title I is one of the products developed and validated by the SEA (State Educational Agencies) Management of Compensatory Education, a multistate project funded through ESEA Title V-505. Representatives from each State Educational Agency, their selected Local Education Agencies,…

Intended for use by childcare center directors, this guide presents the Quick Quality Check, a practical method for measuring and improving the quality of care in infant/toddler classrooms. The four chapters of the guide discuss the specifics of the Quick Quality Check method for both infants and toddlers, including the instrument development, as…

This State Education Agency (SEA) Self Analysis Instrument for ESEA Title I is one of the products developed and validated by the SEA (State Educational Agencies) Management of Compensatory Education, a multistate project funded through ESEA Title V-505. An additional product of the project was a SEA Process Model said to support the…