These discussions of performance-based student assessment provide a record of a decade-long exploration of unsettled issues in assessment. The first section provides the elements of a basic rationale for performance-based assessment, while the second section contains accounts of efforts to develop new performance-based systems in one city and four…

The creation of publicly financed but relatively independent public charter schools may be the most vibrant force in American education today. This fastback presents findings of a national study that examined the outcomes of charter schools. Data were collected through site visits to 43 charter schools in 7 states (Arizona, California, Colorado,…

This study examined the attitudes of state education policymakers and campus representatives in regard to performance funding and budgeting in public higher education. A mailed survey of 916 state education policymakers, campus administrators, deans, and faculty senate chairs in nine states was conducted in December 1996, and a follow-up telephone…

This report describes and compares the inclusive assessment and accountability systems of Maryland and Kentucky, with a focus on components, scoring methods, reporting practices, data use, participation of students with disabilities, testing accommodations, and implementation considerations (including cost and training issues). Maryland and…

This report reviews trends affecting rising costs and prices in higher education and proposes an action agenda for colleges, government at all levels, families and students, and other patrons. The recommendations emphasize shared responsibility to (1) strengthen institutional cost control; (2) improve market information and public accountability;…

The purpose of the study was to determine the characteristics of the 10 best school districts in Arkansas for 1992-93. State legislation (Act 688) of 1989 established an Office of Accountability within the State Department of Education that would provide, among other things, an annual school report card. The school report card assesses the…

This report extends the results of an earlier study on the use of performance measures and standards to suggest principles for designing outcome-based program improvement systems. It examines the implications of that research for enhancing accountability in future federal work force preparation legislation. It also illustrates specifically how the…

This question-and-answer-style document describes the policy and process of implementing and enforcing prerequisite and corequisite courses in California community colleges. Prerequisites are defined as a condition of enrollment that students are required to meet prior to enrollment in particular courses and programs. A prerequisite signifies that…

Data from nine Michigan elementary, middle, and high schools highlight the challenges and common strategies found in the use of student assessment data to meet public demands for accountability. The information gathered from assessment tools varies by frequency and type. Educators have, historically, underutilized data to guide practice because…

A survey of rural New York residents examined community opinions about various traditional and nontraditional school performance criteria that could be used in a local "school report card." Completed surveys were received from 1,821 residents of 29 of the 245 small and rural school districts that participate in the New York Rural Schools…

Despite several years of English language instruction, most Japanese students remain unable to produce nor comprehend more than rudimentary English. In order to overcome this problem, students must be motivated to participate in tasks designed to get them to use English communicatively--a difficult task in a country where students typically remain…

This paper describes the evaluation of the Renaissance Project for Improving Teacher Quality. The Renaissance Group is a national consortium of 16 colleges and universities committed to improving teacher education. Ten of these institutions, in collaboration with their schools of arts and sciences and their partner schools, have engaged in the…

This publication presents six primary tools employers can use to narrow or eliminate pay gaps in their workplaces. After each tool is a discussion of the problem and examples of "best practices" by employers that have won the Department of Labor's Opportunity 2000 and EVE (Exemplary Voluntary Efforts) awards. The report is divided into six tools:…

This document describes the 1997-98 Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) Initiative at Spokane Community College (SCC) in Washington. The SLO mission is to define and integrate critical Student Learning Objectives and Abilities into college-wide, outcomes-based curricula so that students in all courses of study show understanding and proficiency in…

Based on a literature review, this report provides an overview of charter schools. A total of 52 studies of operating charter schools and documents exploring the origins of the charter school concept were reviewed. The report covers the following topics: why and how people create a charter school; charter schools' autonomy compared with public…