This study uses data from the "Initiative for Systemic Program Improvement through Research in Educational Leadership (INSPIRE) Preparation Program Features Survey" to respond to national critiques of university-based principal preparation programs. The findings provide insight into the program content and relevancy, personnel, and…

This report describes the Achieve 180 Program in Year 2. The 53 participating schools received Texas Education Agency campus accountability ratings of "Improvement Required" (IR), "Not Rated," or "Former Improvement Required" at the end of the 2017-2018 school year. The 2018-2019 Achieve 180 Program's centralized…

In 2017-2018, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) launched Achieve 180, a program centered upon a comprehensive action plan to increase student achievement at 45 schools, including the 27 schools that received the Texas Education Agency Campus Accountability rating of "Improvement Required" (IR) in 2016-2017 and 18 former IR…

In October 2010, WestEd's Strategic Literacy Initiative (SLI) won an i3 "Validation" grant to scale up and validate the Reading Apprenticeship (RA) model in three core secondary content area classes: U.S. history, biology, and English language arts. SLI's proposal stated two goals. Goal 1: To transform academic literacy teaching and…

The preparation of culturally and linguistically responsive special educators requires planning, substantive collaboration, and valuing the perspectives of underrepresented groups. This article describes restructuring efforts of one special education preparation program that included coursework and field-based experiences designed to enhance…

"The Learning Principal" is an eight-page newsletter published eight times a year. It focuses on the important and unique work of school principals. This issue includes: (1) Efficacy Can Overcome Classroom Barriers (Valerie von Frank); (2) Q & A: Leadership, Learning Communities Change School Culture (Valerie von Frank); (3) Focus on NSDC's…

Examining the implementation efforts associated with NCLB mandates and policies can help educational leaders frame their associated school responses and actions to better meet the challenges set forth by the federal legislation in meeting the needs of their local student populations. This study addressed the question, "How are middle school…

Fourth-generation program evaluation is a collaborative, responsive approach that attaches great importance to the claims, concerns, and issues set forth by various stakeholders. This model stresses value pluralism and has several community-involvement phases: planning, data collection, results, final evaluation report, and follow-up. (20…

High school students, teachers, and principals were surveyed regarding their perceptions of the availability and importance of different types of evaluative information. Overall, all three groups perceived that evaluative information was only occasionally available, which indicating that such information was important. (Author/MV)

The development, pilot implementation, and formative evaluation of a teacher evaluation system for schools in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, are described. The system also assessed counselors and media personnel. A committee of 17 teachers and 9 administrative personnel developed the evaluation procedures and instrumentation. A 3-year cycle, which…

A case study description of work toward developing an evaluation model for implementation of a statewide principal incentive program illustrates the achieving of consensus when multiple stakeholders' interests were involved. The type of training and background needed by evaluators are also considered. In response to the Educational Improvement Act…

One in a series of reports on a gifted program jointly formed by three school systems in Alberta, Canada, this report presents information about the development, implementation, evaluation, and revision of the Gifted and Talented Program in the Camrose school system. The Camrose program is the smallest of the three, consisting of pull-out programs…

A formative evaluation was conducted of two elementary schools that have been engaged in the School/Community-Based Management (SCBM) process in Hawaii. The evaluation process was aligned with the SCBM philosophy, which promotes shared decision making, shared responsibility, and collaboration. Stakeholders contributed to the evaluation, which…

One in a series of reports on a gifted program jointly formed by three school systems in Alberta, Canada, this document presents information about the gifted and talented program in the Calgary school system, the largest of the three districts. The program in Calgary consists of education assistance services, which help schools develop programs…

This is the first report on the evaluation of the Inquiry Based Science and Technology Education Program (IN-STEP), an innovative and ambitious science education initiative for lower secondary schools being undertaken by a public-private partnership in Thailand funded by MSD-Thailand, an affiliate of Merck & Co. IN-STEP is a public-private…