The first complete survey of all state education reports was conducted in 1994. For the 1998 edition, state education staff were asked to identify and update all current state reports that provide accountability for K-12 education or that report on a set of education indicators. As of August, 1998, all states have at least 1 annual accountability…

Getting through the choppy seas of curriculum reform and high stakes testing, as well as meeting predetermined standards and adequate yearly progress, is often difficult for a teacher, let alone a school or district, to ascertain what specific content should be taught and what is actually being taught. Teachers often do not know what has been…

A survey of high school seniors assessed indicators of educational quality and selectivity as predictors of academic reputation (AR) and desire to attend a college. Curriculum rigor and social/cultural activities were predictive of AR; class size and individualized attention were not. Curriculum rigor and individualized attention were predictive…

Explores how accreditation, bond ratings, and magazine rankings--including advancement's role in these assessments--continue to be incomplete and controversial indicators of educational quality. Asserts that advancement officers should work to demonstrate the importance of their efforts, such as increasing endowments and alumni support, within the…

Presents a statistical record of the progress of African Americans in institutions of higher education in the United States. Contains a composite index of higher educational indicators that presents a running record of the progress of African Americans in all aspects of postsecondary education. (SLD)

Integrates research on educational indicators with that of school profiles to frame relevant issues that states, school districts, and schools should address as they develop or update school profiles. Current practice in designing report cards appears to have resulted in a proliferation of indicators with little demonstrated statistical…

Analyzes Portuguese educational policy as it is developing after the 1974 end to a long dictatorship. Uses educational system indicators proposed by L. D'Hainaut (198). (SLD)

Examines relationships among three principal elements of educational accountability: (1) assessment of achievement; (2) collection of educational indicators; and (3) setting of educational policy. Uses a Venn diagram to portray interactions among the three elements and emphasizes the importance of understanding value perspectives in…

Examines national indicator data on characteristics of schools, classrooms, and teachers that are most likely related to school quality and student learning. Highlights 13 indicators that research supports as related to school quality, grouped into areas of: (1) teacher characteristics; (2) classroom characteristics; and (3) school organizational…

Discusses some of the problems inherent in publishing school performance indicators (SPIs) and makes some recommendations for their publication and use. Considers the characteristics of public SPIs and the ways in which they are disseminated, and draws on the experience of the Netherlands in this area to suggest appropriate ways of publishing…

The potentially unifying elements of a baccalaureate education are often presented as unaligned parts in separate courses. Thus, general education remains inchoate--unhitched from the somewhat more unifying pull of the major disciplines. This essay explains how application of assessment principles can help to align the parts and hitch them to the…

Despite Minnesota's reputation for quality child care, recent changes in legislation and the impact of changing needs have raised concerns about the quality of child care available in the state. This paper presents an overview of Minnesota's current child care system including structural indicators of program quality such as licensing standards,…

The slippery downhill slide of geography as a taught subject in Tasmanian schools is a lamentable case of lost opportunity. Curriculum reforms reported in previous Forum papers for IRGEE (Robertson, 2003a, 2003b) highlight the time lag in responses to these changes by geography educators. Perhaps because they have steadfastly held to the belief…

State public policy has been an important tool for improving the educational preparation and opportunity for many communities. However, without concerted statewide efforts it will continue to be difficult to substantially expand opportunities to accelerate higher education attainment and workforce preparation. Over the next 15 years, the states…

In a more consistent and viable manner than ever before, education in Alabama is moving toward its ultimate goal of providing every student with a quality education, thereby preparing them for work, college, and life after high school. Alabama's graduation rates from 2002 to 2008 increased significantly, tripling the national average increase and…