School climate is critical to school effectiveness, but there is limited large-scale data available to examine the magnitude and nature of the relationship between school climate and school improvement. Drawing on statewide administrative data linked with unique teacher survey data in Michigan, we examine whether school climate appeared to play a…

The push for accountability in public schooling has extended to the measurement of teacher performance, accelerated by federal efforts through Race to the Top. Currently, a large number of states and districts across the country are computing measures of teacher performance based on the standardized test scores of their students and using them in…

In this thesis a prediction model using graduation rate as the performance indicator is obtained for community colleges for three cohort years, 2003, 2004, and 2005 in the states of California, Florida, and Michigan. Multiple Regression analysis, using an aggregate of seven predictor variables, was employed in determining this prediction model.…

The 3 most often-used performance measures in the cognitive and decision sciences are choice, response or decision time, and confidence. We develop a random walk/diffusion theory--2-stage dynamic signal detection (2DSD) theory--that accounts for all 3 measures using a common underlying process. The model uses a drift diffusion process to account…

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is working to respond to increased interest in the use of growth models for school accountability. Growth models are based on tracking change in individual student achievement scores over multiple years. While growth models have been used for decades in academic research and program evaluation, a…

This toolkit is designed to help community schools evaluate their efforts so that they learn from their successes, identify current challenges, and plan future efforts. It provides a step-by-step process for planning and conducting an evaluation at your community school site(s). The toolkit is a practical, hands-on guide that makes it possible for…

To date, few studies have quantitatively examined within-group differences among charter schools. This is largely due to the lack of a workable typology with which to describe and classify schools. This study fills that gap with a two dimensional typology constructed from a sample of 1182 charter schools in five states--Arizona, California,…

This paper describes and discusses a number of conceptual approaches and models for determining the cost-effectiveness of educational programs. Section 1 first discusses a number of conceptual models and designs related to cost-effectiveness analysis in education and then describes several specific cost-effectiveness models that have been recently…

This study addresses several common shortcomings of current university campus sustainability initiatives, including a lack of attention to integrative issues such as land use, housing, and transportation, and a generally reactive rather than proactive approach to sustainability. To engage these concerns, we develop a model for assessing the…

The purpose of this study was to determine if Michigan schools can conduct an evaluation of their own programs of vocational education, with emphasis on outcomes and attainment of local objectives, maximizing the use of local personnel and resources, and utilizing consultant leadership and related professional assistance. The study was conducted…

This document is one of a series of reports which describe the experiences of six state agencies that are developing systems to affect the development and implementation of policy in the federal/state program for vocational rehabilitation. The state programs are developing model program evaluation/management information support units. This second…

The Michigan Department of Education developed an operational model for career education which combined the elements of individual career development with career preparation accomplished through academic, vocational, and technical education programs. A third-party evaluation was conducted to determine to what extent the operational model has been…

This report presents a summary description of the 1974-75 Michigan Cost-Effectiveness Study and its findings. The study was an effort to develop and implement evaluation techniques for determining what educational practices affect student behavior and what costs are associated with those practices. Overall purpose of the 1974-75 study was to…

This guide is intended to serve as a reference and procedural tool for use by state and local decision makers in guiding existing and future public education-based job placement efforts in Michigan. The first section gives an overview of job placement in Michigan public education and the rationale for public education-based job placement; it also…

Independent evaluators examined the progress of the Berrien County Intermediate School District in Berrien County, Michigan, in implementing Michigan's Career Preparation System. The evaluation established that the district has provided the leadership, training, resources, and continued support to implement a systemwide school-to-career reform…