Higher education is facing a host of challenges, including external questions regarding its value and purpose. These questions cut to the core of the states' role in higher education. Traditionally, states have the responsibility to ensure that institutions of higher education are operating in the public interest and that the institutions are good…

This paper argues that the dynamic model of educational effectiveness can be used to establish stronger links between educational effectiveness research (EER) and school improvement. It provides research evidence to support the validity of the model. Thus, the importance of using the dynamic model to establish an evidence-based and theory-driven…

Through a comprehensive overview of policies and data related to the renewed European agenda for adult learning, this Eurydice report aims to support the exchange of policy and practice between countries. The report concentrates on measures to ensure that the most vulnerable groups of adult learners, in particular those with low basic skills or…

Fierce competition, globalization, and technology innovation have forced software companies to search for new ways to improve competitive advantage. Web-based learning is increasingly being used by software companies as an emergent approach for enhancing the skills of knowledge workers. However, the current practice of Web-based learning is…

Successful schools that provide positive, productive, and vibrant teaching and learning environments do not occur by accident. Instead, the most effective schools are led by principals who are equipped with the skills and possess the attitudes required to be exceptional school leaders. The good news is there is a growing research base that clearly…

Background: Institutional theorists suggest environmental stakeholders in the "organizational field" have a symbiotic relationship with governing agencies, leading to institutional isomorphism. Hence state policy makers copy the work of their colleagues across states to create a sense of legitimacy, certainty, and professionalization…

In April 2007 Butler Community College made learning spaces one of its five strategic priorities. The college had just completed a major renovation of the work spaces for the IT division and had started a project to build a student union and create informal learning spaces at the Andover campus. With learning spaces becoming a strategic priority,…

In the context of current efforts to increase student performance and to close the significant gaps in performance among student subgroups, school researchers and practitioners are paying increasing attention to schools as learning organizations. Unfortunately, the concept of the learning organization is generally vague, and school personnel have…

Presented here are reviews of the reports from the National Institute of Education (NIE) on the Compensatory Education Study (an evaluation of compensatory education programs in the United States). Ernest House's article addresses the evaluation study directly. It covers the study's assessment of funding allocations, program administration,…

This paper examines whether the peer-review process of the North Central Association (NCA) is reliable and valid. Reliance on peer judgments has been a part of NCA accreditation, but confidence in the use of peer decisions to certify a school's readiness to implement the improvement plan--Outcomes Accreditation (OA)--was weak. The study focused on…

Schools throughout the country are now encouraged to implement school-wide positive behavior support (PBS) procedures as a way to improve their behavioral climate, safety, and social culture. Research is needed to determine (a) the extent to which schools already use school-wide PBS, (b) if training and technical assistance efforts result in…

On March 31, 1993, President Clinton signed into law the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. The Goals 2000 Act sets educational improvement and participation as national priorities to be achieved through local and state ingenuity, not federal control. This document offers general information on the Act and provides questions to help educators and…

This paper examines new approaches to program evaluation and explores their possible utility in Latin American educational settings. Part 1 briefly discusses why new ideas for evaluating educational studies are needed. Part 2 examines seven new evaluative approaches as follows: (1) "Concept Mapping," a type of structural…

In June 1993, the Quebec Commission d'Evaluation de l'Enseignement Collegial (CEEC) was created to conduct evaluations of the assessment of student achievement and quality of college programs of studies in the province. This report presents, in two parts, CEEC guidelines for evaluating programs of studies. Part 1 describes the CEEC and educational…

This paper argues that the National Diffusion Network (NDN) is a valuable tool for disseminating information about effective school improvement programs (SIPs). It considers why SIPs are not found more frequently in the NDN and what can be done to remedy this situation, from the perspective of the executive secretary of the NDN Program…