Accountability mechanisms and processes have evolved with changes in statute. State Education Agency (SEA) accountability systems may exhibit characteristics of compliance- and/or improvement-focused systems in light of requirements under the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act" (ESEA) and its reauthorizations under the…

This article presents both sides of the debate as to whether urban teachers need structure or freedom, and then takes a stand on urban teaching in the current high-stakes assessment climate. First, we trace the 30-year development of American educational policy in the area of structuring teaching. Then, we present research from proponents of…

Key legislative objectives for the US Federal educational policy over the past several decades relied heavily on quasi-market strategies (such as school rating, school closure, the contracting out of schools) as central levers in "reforming" public schools. Using financial data on 11 national for-profit firms contracting with schools and…

Research supports the following four key elements of any comprehensive education-improvement effort: (1) high standards for all students; (2) teachers better trained for teaching to high standards; (3) flexibility to stimulate local reform, coupled with accountability for results; and (4) close partnerships among families, communities, and…

New Title I legislation--the Improving America's Schools Act--mandates that students with disabilities be included in district and statewide assessments beginning in 2001, or immediately, if such assessments already exist. Administrators should include handicapped students in assessments, when in doubt; provide needed accommodations; and report…

The Improving America's Schools Act (the new Title I) is changing the way public school performance is evaluated. The IASA clearly places responsibility for standards and assessments with states. Standards-based assessment assesses students against high, specific standards, determines adequate yearly progress, and demands an accurate…

Describes the new directions, or paradigm shift, that schools must learn to deal with under the 1994 Improving America's Schools Act as subsumed under five headings: (1) standards; (2) focus on teaching and learning with an accelerated curriculum; (3) flexibility for local initiative; (4) links among schools, parents, and communities; and (5)…

The National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board (NERPPB) was established under the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 to work with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) to forge a national consensus with respect to a long-term agenda for educational research, development,…

Chapter I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is the largest federally-funded program designed to provide services to elementary and secondary students to meet the special needs of educationally deprived students who reside in areas with high concentrations of low-income families. The 1994-95 school year is the last year of…

On October 20, 1994, President Clinton signed into law the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994. This statute contains amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, including the reauthorization of Chapter 1, as the newly entitled Title I. The reauthorized Title I drastically restructures the direction of former remedial…

The California Youth Authority, the state agency that serves youth offenders, has received federal grant funds to supplement state-funded education programs for educationally disadvantaged students since 1967. Since 1989-90, these funds have been provided through the Elementary and Secondary Education Amendment (ESEA), Chapter 1 of Title I. This…