The 2021-22 accreditation year continued to be impacted in significant ways by the ongoing nature of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. All accreditation activities, including site visits, were adjusted to reflect this new reality while maintaining full implementation of the system. This report presents information about the major activities of the…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the most influential elements of teacher evaluation as perceived by K-8 teachers and administrators, determined through their lived experiences related to this topic. The researcher utilized a phenomenological approach in this study, engaging in semi-structured interviews of 11 K-8 teachers and…

Rural school districts face unique challenges in procuring funds, recruiting staff, and obtaining high-quality technical assistance. This environment creates problems in identifying high-quality instructional materials and implementing best practices. A collaborative learning network can address these challenges by providing access to professional…

Community colleges across the country are plagued with tight budgets--caused in part by state disinvestment and chronic federal underfunding. For rural community colleges, these challenges are even more acute, as their needs are greater and the costs of providing services higher. The COVID-19 pandemic has only deepened the prosperity gap between…

This paper examines the options available to states to redefine their accountability systems as they begin to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The new law provides the possibility that states can create more balanced systems of support and accountability focused on educating young people so they can become productive, engaged…

The authors report insights, based on annual site visits to elementary and middle schools in three states from 2004 to 2006, into the incentive effect of the No Child Left Behind Act's requirement that increasing percentages of students make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in every public school. They develop a framework, drawing on the physics…

Educational achievement of students can be negatively affected by their changing schools often. The recent economic downturn, with foreclosures and homelessness, may be increasing student mobility. To inform Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) reauthorization, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked: (1) What are…

In this article, the author describes how the California's lowest-achieving schools are routinely visited by inspectors on the lookout for, among other things, inadequate textbook supplies, dirty drinking water, and evidence of vermin. Following the settlement from the case "Williams v. California," the laws known as the "Williams…

The COPES Subsystem for the handicapped attempts to improve the quality and availability of occupational education for the handicapped student who attends a California community college. The subsystem facilitates achievement of its purpose by: (1) providing easily administered procedures for studying aspects of occupational education related to…

The purpose of the COPES subsystem in consumer and homemaking education (CHE) is the improvement of the quality and availability of CHE programs and services for students of California community colleges. It achieves this purpose by: (1) providing easily administered procedures for studying CHE programs, (2) offering professional assistance in…

An evaluation was made of the occupational education program at California community colleges. Three areas were studied: strengths, improvement needs, and research priorities. Evaluations, combining college self-appraisals with validations of the self-appraisals by visiting COPES teams, were conducted over a three-month period. Team ratings…

The purpose of the COPES subsystem is the improvement of the quality and availability of occupational education for the disadvantaged student who attends a California community college. The subsystem facilitates achievement of its purpose by: (1) providing easily administered procedures for studying aspects of occupational education related to the…

Each year, the Office of Migrant Child Education, Arizona Department of Education, participates in a Teacher Exchange Program with other states. Prior to these visits, arrangements are made with other states to send teachers and administrators on an observation tour of their Migrant Child Education Programs. Objectives are to provide: an…

The Redwood City (Calif.) School District, which comprises a diverse student population, has implemented a major professional development model for principals in order to enhance student achievement at all school sites. The model has three key components: (1) restructuring principal meetings with a primary focus on ongoing professional…

The purpose of this study was to: (1) make a careful survey of the county, touching upon its geological, geographical, social, and economic features; (2) survey the system of schools now provided by the many districts in the county; and (3) propose a system of public schools to meet more adequately the needs of the people of this larger community.…