Policymakers know that improving teaching in our schools requires a systemic look at many policies related to educator effectiveness. For example, teacher preparation programs need to be dramatically improved and strengthened, but without accompanying reform in compensation, even highly effective and innovative schools of education are unlikely to…

This article focuses on the elaboration of institutional research practice, which is an important element of any research university. The study addresses three questions. First, how did institutional research arise, and what is its raison d'etre in a research university? Second, how can institutional research contribute to the improvement of the…

This case study reports on the work of Denise Watts, who in 2011 was the newly named Project L.I.F.T. executive director and a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools zone superintendent. She approached Public Impact for help in meeting the new Project L.I.F.T. (Leadership and Investment for Transformation) goals. Facing urgent needs for real change, Watts…

The potential use of computer-based assessments has raised concerns from educators, policymakers, and parents about information technology infrastructure in school districts and the preparation of staff and students to use new technologies for assessment purposes, and the potential impact of testing activities on core school functions,…

This Wallace-commissioned report identifies the emergence of a new kind of education advocacy organization in the U.S., assesses how these groups influence education policy, provides an overview of their work across the country, and offers a case study of one, Advance Illinois. The report argues that these groups, and their potential foundation…

This exploratory case study examined information technology (IT) staff perceptions of their self-efficacy--as viewed through the lens of Bandura's (1997) framework "mastery experience, vicarious experience, and social persuasion"--to instruct faculty to employ technology in their pedagogy. Twenty seven respondents at a graduate school of…

There's a lot of work happening all over the country to "turnaround" schools. Federal stimulus programs, including Title 1 Improvement Grants and Race to the Top, have caused many states and school systems to focus on how to address schools trapped in a cycle of failure and "turn them around." On the school level, there are…

The teaching profession has long been structured around full-time classroom responsibilities that are defined by the location, timing, and schedule of the school day and a ubiquitous one-teacher-per-classroom model. In most districts, the only option for highly successful teachers to advance in the profession or serve more students is to leave the…

This study examined an elementary school, located in an urban school district, which was labeled as a Persistently Low-Achieving School (PLAS) by the federal government in 2009 in order to determine how the school planned to change leadership and staff; increase student achievement; and implement new approaches for changes in school climate. The…

This report summarizes the detailed case study of the organization and staffing of the research libraries of Columbia University. The study examines present patterns and recommends how the resources of 35 operating libraries ought better be arranged and deployed to fulfill their important roles. As a case study, the conclusions and recommendations…

The study examined impact of office automation on the roles and staffing patterns of office employees at the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke. Results of an interview study indicate that automation has had a favorable impact on the way work is accomplished and on the work environment. (Author/CH)

Cuyahoga Community College's governing board was reorganized on the basis of three committees--Planning and Evaluation, Management, and Community Affairs--with clear guidelines for each. The board has come through two years of problem-solving with good results and attributes much of the success to adequate committee staffing. (Author/LBH)

This article offers a preliminary report and description of the problems and progress of the reforms undertaken by the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services. (Editor/RK)

This case study of the libraries at Columbia University analyzes the libraries against the backdrop of contemporary trends in higher education. New management styles and approaches to the utilization of professional personnel are recommended. The report presents detailed suggestions for implementing the change recommendations. (KB)