Persistently low-performing schools have been repeatedly targeted for comprehensive reform for more than two decades, usually with poor results. These efforts have suffered, however, because they were often poorly implemented or insufficiently grounded in rigorous research. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), enacted in 2015, provides a…

In this powerful collection of personal accounts, successful and respected teachers from across the country reveal how recent education policies have played out in their schools and classrooms in negative and counterproductive ways, and offer teacher-led alternatives for providing equitable, engaging, and empowering education. Framed by critical…

The practices and problems of grading are reviewed. (MM)

The evaluation of instructional television (ITV) is a new field with evaluation methods largely borrowed from other disciplines. The evaluator is not apt to be trained specifically in this area but will learn "on the job" while defining his role for those with whom he works. The evaluator should consider the following recommendations: (1)…

In New York City, a $25 million Annenberg grant was targeted to 100 individual schools to empower their staffs via innovative networks and accountability structures. However, the changes that graced the proposals did not create the desired momentum. Targeting school-level groups cannot in itself lead to systemwide change. Problems arose from…

High attrition rates at colleges and universities are costly to students and to institutions, in terms of money, time, effort, etc. The prediction of academic success or failure is related to the problem of accountability. In order to plan and account for certain program expenditures, it becomes imperative to predict the needs and behaviors of…

In order to determine how much objective evidence exists regarding the effectiveness of career education programs in U.S. schools, American Institutes for Research in Behavioral Sciences (AIR) conducted a comprehensive, national search for well-evaluated activities. The initial nominations of 394 programs were received from state career education…

In recent years, constructionist methodologies such as discursive psychology (Edwards & Potter, 1992) have begun to be used in sport research. This paper provides a practical guide to applying a discursive psychological approach to sport data. It discusses the assumptions and principles of discursive psychology and outlines the stages of a…

This paper focuses on the evaluation of programs and policies designed to promote gender equity in schools and to raise awareness in general about gender issues in urban education. It raises the following problems: (1) How to frame and define gender as an important issue in urban education; (2) How to decide where and by what criteria to…

A major reason for the public's concern about curriculum and instruction at all levels of education has evolved because of the serious decline in student academic achievement. After two decades of innovation in teaching styles there are increasing complaints about academic grade inflation, functional illiteracy, and student inability to read,…

A discussion of the nature of performance objectives is summarized in this way: "they state (1) what the student will do, (2) under what conditions, (3) to what level of mastery, and (4) using what time limit (if any)." Having established the importance of performance objectives for modern language teachers, the author suggests their specific…

Maintains that teachers and parents must realize that minority children are capable of learning and becoming successful adults and that it is time to stop offering excuses and demand excellence of all students, including minorities. (Author/JM)

A description of the 1974-75 Michigan Cost-Effectiveness Study and its findings is provided in this study. The present study is restricted to compensatory education reading programs. Its purpose is the development of the analytical techniques reflected in the cost-effectiveness model. A purpose of the study is the investigation of the direction of…

A youngster failing to thrive in one environment needs an alternative learning situation. Research shows that small, personalized schools offering authentic, engaging curricula are essential for reaching unsuccessful learners. The test-score craze can be contained by publicizing other numbers regarding consequences: absence rates, dropouts,…