The United Kingdom's approach to planned educational change is called school improvement. This book presents a new approach to school improvement based on the experiences of 30 British schools that are being monitored by the Improving the Quality of Education for All (IQEA) project. Following the foreword by Michael Fullan and the preface and…

New provisions in Title I, the federal government's largest elementary and secondary school program, encourage greater use of funds in high-poverty secondary schools. This handbook is the first of a two-volume series designed to support the implementation of the new Title I legislation. The volume describes an array of promising practices and…

New provisions in Title I, the federal government's largest elementary and secondary school program, encourage greater use of funds in high-poverty secondary schools. This handbook is the second of a two-volume series designed to support the implementation of the new Title I legislation. The volume illustrates how 13 middle and high schools have…

This research report compares parents' satisfaction about the quality of their eighth grade childrens' schooling with the childrens' mathematics achievement. The report uses data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS88). Despite low student achievement in mathematics as indicated by a study conducted in 1990, data from the…

In winter 1994, a study was conducted at Miami-Dade Community College (M-DCC), in Florida, to determine credit students' perceptions of college services. Surveys were distributed to students in 200 credit courses requesting ratings for 21 college services with respect to the importance of the service for their "ideal" college and their…

In winter 1994, a study was conducted at Miami-Dade Community College (M-DCC), in Florida, to determine evening students' perceptions of college services. Surveys were distributed to students in 200 credit courses requesting ratings for 21 college services with respect to the importance of the service for their "ideal" college and their…

A review of the school-effectiveness literature found that the concept of school effectiveness has been shaped by researchers and policymakers, not by those being asked to implement the concept. This paper presents findings of a study that sought to establish an understanding of what "school effectiveness" meant to the people involved in…

This paper reports on a 1992 follow-up survey of graduates of Virginia Wesleyan College (VWC). The target population of 1,110 graduates from the classes of 1987 through 1992 were surveyed, and 576 responded (51.9 percent). The survey sought information on demographics, enrollment history, evaluation of cognitive and affective outcomes, overall…

A study was done examining the experiences of four California community colleges that received pilot program grants to participate in a legislatively mandated, statewide accountability program. The participating colleges were Mount San Antonio College (Los Angeles), San Joaquin Delta College (Stockton), San Jose-Evergreen, and Santa Barbara City…

The appropriateness and usefulness of indicators used on the Progress Profiles of the Louisiana State Department of Education were studied using data from 1,336 public regular education schools in Louisiana. Categorization variables considered included socioeconomic and demographic indicators and school size and type. School effectiveness…

Research has indicated that a primary difference between effective and ineffective schools is the principal. However, the truly effective principal is uncommon in today's public schools, and female principals are even scarcer. Effective principals, regardless of gender, get things accomplished in schools. Their effectiveness results from ability…

Issues pertinent to the positive and lasting reform of innercity school systems serving disadvantaged minority youth are explored in this paper. Current and past reforms to improve school effectiveness have dealt primarily with instructional deficiencies of the school. However, three clusters of problems must be addressed: institutional…

This digest suggests ways that elementary and secondary magnet schools in urban settings are perceived to provide a superior education, offers an evaluation of their effectiveness, and looks at issues for policymakers that arise from the magnet's success. Magnet schools appeal to families and students for the following reasons: (1) program…

Recently South Dakota initiated a statewide report card system, which publicizes school data such as teacher-student ratios and student scores on the Stanford Achievement Test. A survey of South Dakota superintendents on their opinions about the new system was returned by 178 superintendents (74 percent of total), of whom 57 administered small…

Despite frequent criticisms of small schools, evidence collected over the last decade indicates that smaller English primary schools offer a curriculum and maintain standards compatible with those offered by larger institutions. In recent years, informal clustering arrangements have enabled small schools to increase the range of subjects offered,…