State-level policymakers, local-level administrators, and teachers alike are interested in how standards actually apply to classroom learning. This paper presents answers to questions that policymakers and educators should consider before implementing standards-based education at the local level. The following questions help sort through the…

The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) (North Carolina) first introduced year-round education in 1989. By 1994, the program had expanded to seven elementary and middle schools. Of the seven current year-round schools, six have solely voluntary magnet enrollment and operate on a multi-track system. The other is a single-track year-round…

As open access institutions, the mission of the Wisconsin technical colleges is to enhance the lives of all residents of the state. To achieve this, the system has adopted the following 12 strategies: (1) revise the missions and purposes of the 16 system colleges to ensure that they provide services to all residents; (2) focus on education and the…

This theme issue includes four articles on high performance by poor Texas schools. In "Principal of National Blue Ribbon School Says High Poverty Schools Can Excel" (interview with Robert Zarate by Christie L. Goodman), the principal of Mary Hull Elementary School (San Antonio, Texas) describes how the high-poverty, high-minority school…

A new national assessment system could lay a solid foundation for improving schools by monitoring the effectiveness of schools and teachers and student progress toward national goals. A sound national assessment system would: (1) allow valid comparisons between schools, districts, and states; (2) provide sound data on achievement, not just…

Public concern about the quality of leadership in society and the quality of education have fueled the demand for educational reform, particularly in secondary schools. This paper presents preliminary findings of doctoral research that investigated how leadership is experienced and understood by students, parents, teachers, and administrators in…

Reviewing the history and status of accountability efforts in the California Community Colleges (CCC), this document describes three accountability models. Following a brief history of accountability in the state, the accountability model established by 1988's Assembly Bill 1725 is discussed, indicating that colleges are required to report data on…

This plan provides information on the efforts of Arizona's Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) to evaluate its effectiveness in achieving organizational mission and purpose. The plan contains the following information: (1) a discussion of EMCC's institutional effectiveness efforts to date, indicating that the college's Plan for…

In summer 1996, a long-term follow-up study was conducted of 1991-92 graduates of career programs at Johnson County Community College (JCCC), in Kansas. Questionnaires were mailed to 646 graduates, certificate holders, and students who left JCCC with marketable skills to assess their satisfaction with their educational experiences and their…

Parental opinion is an important indicator of educational effectiveness. Parent attitudes toward school effectiveness were measured in this survey to determine one school district's strategic plan concerning community involvement. A random sample of 650 households, representing prekindergarten through twelfth grade, were asked about their…

The importance of co-curricular experiences is leading to an increased scrutiny of student development functions. This ethnographic-interview study examines the effect of participation in intercollegiate athletics on students' academic success. The setting for the research was a large community college. Fourteen current and two former student…

In 1995, the Education Commission of the States released the first in a series of annual reports examining the progress of education reform. The report concluded that despite many encouraging signs of progress, American schools and students were losing ground. This 1996 report, the second in the series, summarizes data on student performance,…

Each year, New Jersey's Hudson County Community College (HCCC) surveys graduates from the previous year to determine their subsequent career/educational progress and satisfaction with the college's programs and services. In August 1996, questionnaires were mailed to 172 graduates from 1995, with 47 returning completed surveys. Study findings…

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is an objective statistical technique for discovering the comparative ranking of organizations with respect to their efficiency. The technique, which assesses the relationship between resources (inputs) and outcomes (outputs) may also be used to discover what variables make organizations effective and efficient in…

Focusing on efforts at community colleges to demonstrate institutional effectiveness, this monograph presents findings from a survey of 147 colleges regarding accountability practices and showcases seven colleges with effective accountability programs. The first chapter, "Focusing on the Problem: Accountability and Effectiveness in the Community…