President George W. Bush signed into legislation one of the most influential and controversial educational reforms--the 2001 "No Child Left Behind Act" (NCLB). The purpose of the NCLB is to "ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum,…

Given the potential consequences of test results, it is important that policy makers, educators, and parents understand the empirical base underlying the use and validity of assessments for measuring the academic progress of English Learners (Abedi, Hofstetter, & Lord, 2004). In order to understand how the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) school…

The experience of public policy in Sri Lanka has had a profound impact on the thinking of the global development community in relation to the role of education in economic development. In particular, the example of Sri Lanka helped to persuade policy makers around the world that governments can successfully develop a general education system to…

In 2003, the Allegheny Intermediate Unit received a grant under the National Science Foundation's Math and Science Partnership program to establish the Math Science Partnership of Southwest Pennsylvania (MSP). The MSP brings together regional K-12 school districts, institutions of higher education, and intermediate units with the goals of…

Schools that have not made adequate yearly progress in increasing student academic achievement are required, under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), to offer children in low-income families the opportunity to receive supplemental educational services (SES). In research conducted in Milwaukee Public Schools, the authors explore whether parents and…

Although research has provided a substantial amount of information about key characteristics of effective school leaders, there is a growing need for continued improvement and reflective practice on the continuous development of instructional leaders. The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent elementary principals perceive they are…

Under the "No Child Left Behind Act" (NCLB), in theory, schools on the margin for meeting AYP face strong short-term incentives to increase students' pass rates on specific exams, and may change their behavior accordingly. Using a comprehensive, national, school-level data set concerning schools' AYP status, student characteristics, and…

In this paper, we follow up the important class size reduction randomized experiment in Tennessee in the mid 1980s (Project STAR) to attempt to further understand the long-lasting influences of early education interventions. While STAR led to large test score benefits during the intervention, these benefits quickly faded at its conclusion.…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004), the latest revision to federal special education law, includes new additions intended to enhance meaningful parent involvement in their child's special education program. The purpose for this brochure is to provide parents and educators general information about the State Performance…

Students at California's public colleges are doing about as well or better than students at similar institutions nationally, but there is significant need to improve success. Based on the five accountability framework reports presented to the California Postsecondary Education Commission for measuring student success, this report assesses major…

The "Teaching and California's Future" initiative was created a decade ago to strengthen the teaching profession in California. This brief summary is based on the latest research for the initiative, covered in depth in the full report for 2007. The authors argue that California policymakers need to expand their focus from the quantity of…

During December 2007, 35 professionals from research, policy, practice and the media were interviewed about a range of literacy issues. Interviewees were asked to indicate whether a certain topic was "hot" (i.e. currently a topic of debate and research) or "not hot" (i.e. not currently receiving a lot of attention). One of the…

A central theme of approaches to new public management is the emulation of the market through state-induced competition. Basing state funding allocations on comparative performance is one way of setting an incentive for competitive practice amongst universities. Reforms in funding allocation have occurred in Germany at both state and university…

This article details a pilot Minimum Standards assessment in Afghan refugee schools supported by the International Rescue Committee's Female Education Program in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. A set of specifically selected, contextualized indicators, based on the global INEE Minimum Standards, served as a tool for teachers and…

The overarching goal of a liberal arts education is to provide students with the necessary skills to construct lives of substance and achievement, helping them to become wise citizens. By offering programs and implementing practices that adopt an integrated and holistic approach to student learning outcomes, institutions of higher education may be…