The Adolescent Literacy Collaboratory is one model for sharing literacy leadership responsibility at the secondary school level. With the help of computer technology (PCs), it brings teachers and literacy leaders from multiple departments and multiple schools together to learn from and with one another in overlapping professional learning…

As a follow-up to a 2007 Edvantia, Inc. report entitled "A Legacy of Leadership and Lessons Learned: Results of the Rural Systemic Initiatives for Improving Mathematics and Science Education," (ED531892) Edvantia, Inc. sought and received support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to hold a forum in the nation's capital that…

Achieving the Dream colleges engage in a process of institutional improvement to increase student success. A central component of this process is engaging internal and external stakeholders to help develop and implement interventions or changes in programs and services that improve student success. To determine whether these interventions do…

This paper evaluates the labour market effects of the introduction of the polytechnic education system in Finland. The polytechnic reform gradually transformed former vocational colleges into polytechnics. Since the timing of the reform differed across schools, we can compare the performance of polytechnic graduates to the performance of…

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's museums. Museums for America (MFA) is the largest IMLS grant program for museums; it supports institutions by investing in high-priority, high-value activities that are clearly linked to the institution's strategic plan and enhance its value to…

The "Multiple Intelligences, Curriculum and Assessment Project" at University College Cork was a collaborative project carried out between 1995 and 1999. The key research question focused on whether Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences could be applied to, and enhance, aspects of curriculum and assessment at primary and…

Sooner Xpress service arose out of a need to improve and expand services for library users at the University of Oklahoma. After several years of service for our distance education students, a decision was made to expand those services to include all campus and local users in an effort to streamline retrieval services in the library. Both…

While the frequency of program evaluations has increased, evaluations often have limited effectiveness because the information they provide is not adequately conferred throughout the school system. Whether or not a specific program shows merit, the organization can benefit by using that information to increase knowledge among organization members,…

This paper is a report of an innovative program in social work education to enrich field supervisors and students with the latest theories and practices related to social work practice in health care settings. This program consists of a study day organized jointly by academic faculty, field supervisors, and students, conducted once a year between…

What happens in a school when, despite teachers' best efforts in the classroom, students do not learn? The administrators and faculty members at Papillion-La Vista South High School in Nebraska asked themselves this question when they realized that some of their students were struggling, were not turning in work, did not seem to care, and were…

According to Kenny and McCoach (2003), chi-square tests of structural equation models produce inflated Type I error rates when the degrees of freedom increase. So far, the amount of this bias in large models has not been quantified. In a Monte Carlo study of confirmatory factor models with a range of 48 to 960 degrees of freedom it was found that…

This paper reviews the literature on school effects and school improvement. The literature reveals that some schools are much more effective than others at optimizing achievement and other student outcomes, and that schools judged successful by these criteria tend to have in common certain leadership, goal commitment, and school atmosphere factors…

Research for Better Schools and a Maryland county school district developed a school improvement program to examine the relationship between the program and subsequent improvement. The program involved a self-assessment survey, choosing goals for the following year, assigning a committee of practitioners to lead the program, executing the plan…

Because an excellent education depends on a balanced program of academics and activities, the Idaho Commission on Excellence recommends changes in 17 areas, including proficiency tests for all sixth and eighth graders and core course requirements for high school graduation. Administrators should complete 6 hours of graduate work every 5 years, and…

This sourcebook synthesizes findings from studies on school improvement programs. The prefatory overview emphasizes key themes and issues addressed in the seven papers that comprise the body of the document, discusses the role of staff development, and examines the process of translating research into policy. The papers summarize the findings of…