The report summarizes key indicators for Miami-Dade County public high schools to provide information useful to recruiters at Miami-Dade Community College (M-DCC) (Florida). Schools are grouped into high, moderate, and low performing categories based on the Florida School Indicators report. The report also displays continuation rates into public…

This digest looks at school district size and its possible relationship to school performance, defined here as aggregate achievement of a school's students on state-mandated tests. An overview of size issues briefly discusses class size, school size, district size, and organizational "scaling" or coordination of various levels of size.…

Each year, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Military Academy, and the U.S. Naval Academy combined spend tens of millions of dollars to operate preparatory schools that provide an alternative avenue for about 700 students annually to gain admission to the service academies. The Department of Defense (DOD) requested that the General Accounting…

This article provides an overview of ways to initiate a comprehensive and effective assessment program within student services and academic support services. It also provides three key questions that an institution should answer in order to create an effective assessment: (1) What does the faculty expect the students to learn? (2) Can it be…

In June 2000, 492 students received diplomas from two high schools in Saginaw, Michigan. To determine these graduates' activities nine months after graduation, 376 of them were telephoned and asked about post-secondary education, employment status, and perception/evaluation of their high school education. The results of that survey are reported…

Data from a variety of sources were used to examine the status of charter schools in California. Home to 415 charter schools enrolling 157,000 students, about 2.4% of all public school students in the state, California is at the forefront of the charter school movement, with the number of charter schools increasing rapidly. The average overall…

This is a self-assessment for Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC), Nevada. Assessment efforts at the College are intended to engage faculty and administration in a continuous process of examining the quality of programs and services. The assessment addresses the following issues: (1) student learning improvement; (2) demonstrating academic…

This report, by the South Carolina State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education Division of Instruction, allows the individual colleges and the system to examine programs in terms of productivity, job availability of graduates, and placement of graduates. The policies and procedures allow for programs to be phased out when new technology…

Due to their more diverse populations, urban colleges have different concerns than suburban and rural colleges, and they must provide programs and services specific to those concerns. The question arises as to whether urban college effectiveness can be measured with traditional indicators. The declining test scores in American public schools have…

This paper presents data from the first year of a study that seeks to reveal the effective practices and structures that address the match between the philosophy of Title I and beliefs and practices at the school site. A national study has been designed to investigate the compliance and effectiveness of urban schoolwide Title I programs. As part…

This paper discusses the impact on teacher qualifications and earnings of public financing of private education. As societies become more frustrated with government-run schools, policies to provide public funds for private schools--for example, tuition subsidies, vouchers, or tuition tax credits--become more attractive. However, it is important to…

This paper provides a synopsis of the findings of a national survey of headteachers conducted in 1999 by means of a self-completion postal questionnaire. The survey sought to establish the perceptions of English headteachers with regard to their state of readiness on taking up the role. Where respondents reported themselves as well prepared or…

This Assessment Program Progress Report (APPR) records the institutional activities that have taken place at Coconino Community College (CCC) during the 1997-98 academic year. It presents models, timelines, accomplishments, and opportunities for improvement in the assessment practices at CCC. Implementation and outcomes information is included for…

A study was conducted to provide empirical evidence to answer the question of whether student scores on standardized achievement tests represent reasonable measures of instructional quality. Using a research protocol designed by W. Popham and the local study directors, individual test items from a nationally marketed standardized achievement test…

This publication presents a summary of an ongoing collaborative research study that is both national in scope and practical for immediate local decision making in schools. It is written for bilingual and English as a Second Language program coordinators and local school policy makers. The research includes findings from five large urban and…