This biennial publication frames the most pressing challenges currently facing colleges and universities--those that demand the board's strategic oversight, vision, and accountability to advance excellence in governance and outcomes for students. The current competitive economic environment and polarized political climate present unique challenges…

Student outcomes don't change until adult behaviors change. Or said differently when placed in the context of governing, patterns of behavior that are exhibited in the boardroom can reasonably be expected to be found paralleled in the classroom. This concept, which offers a summation of the current literature on board behaviors and their…

Across the country, urban school districts are moving beyond industrial-era systems by creating "innovation" or "partnership" schools that have the freedom to reinvent the way they educate students. The Progressive Policy Institute released a how-to guide for legislators, district leaders, and advocates who want to create more…

This guidebook offers an approach to understanding and centering the lived experiences of students from low-income and minoritized identities as they progress along their journey to a college degree. Universities that wish to achieve equitable student outcomes may consider using this approach as one of several that will inform and catalyze action…

This study provides an overview and a snapshot of new student orientation (NSO) and new student e-orientation (NSEO) programs, with a focus on the content and feature analysis of the NSEOs. It offers an overview of currently available NSO programs of 100 randomly selected community colleges from a master list of nearly 900 community colleges in…

In the push to bring data to bear on all of the important education issues of the day, one essential fact is often overlooked: Not all indicators are created equal. This book provides a comprehensive approach for understanding how statistical measures of achievement are developed, evaluated, and interpreted. Given the extent to which…

As the number of end of course (EOC) tests has increased along with an expansion of their role in accountability, development and implementation decisions are more important than ever. This process starts with articulating how the assessment fits into a credible theory of action that describes how all elements of the system will work together to…

Over the past decade, schools, districts, and states have become increasingly savvy with data collection and analysis to drive student outcomes. The development and use of Early Warning Indicator and Intervention Systems (EWS) are at the cutting edge of the data- driven, outcomes-focused, high-impact education movement. These systems can increase…

This research brief examines the challenges and opportunities presented in evaluating whether an intervention achieves defined goals of increasing students' educational attainment, employment, and earnings after high school. The report concludes that evaluations should: (1) Distinguish between gross outcomes (such as how many young people attend…

This report presents the outcomes of the analysis of Grade Level of Achievement (GLA) data at the provincial level to inform the program planning and evaluation needs of Alberta Education as well as school and central office based administrators. GLA data reported to Alberta Education is a teacher's judgment of a student's academic progress. GLA…

This study investigated school administrators' perceptions of school improvement policies in a high-impact policy environment by measuring the impact of accountability, site-based management, professional development, and scheduling reform on the three dependent variables of a) academic outcomes, b) staff morale, and c) parent and community…

This article explores what it takes to develop systemic strategies and structures that engage youth as coconstructors of their learning environment and experience. It looks at efforts nationwide to engage young people in educational change endeavors, draws on lessons learned from a national high school reform initiative, and addresses some…

As a former school law attorney and a former superintendent, the authors were constantly concerned about potential liability when a student's constitutional rights may have been violated or when a student was physically injured. While educators can be held liable for infringing on students' rights and for negligence that causes students physical…

New accountability requirements contain provisions that mandate the participation of students with disabilities in large-scale assessments and the public reporting of these students' performance along with other important educational outcomes. Discusses the technical, legal, and practical challenges to implementing the new accountability mandates.…

This overview of some aspects of the environment shaping the direction and nature of research in educational leadership in Australia, the USA and the UK commences by outlining a number of broad societal pressures, moves to the more specific international and national governmental reviews of educational research and some responses to these reviews,…