"NSDC Policy Points" is a newsletter published by the National Staff Development Council (NSDC). This issue of "NSDC Policy Points" focuses on NSDC's advocacy for a powerful new definition of professional development. Based on a model of continuous improvement, the new definition engages educators in a cycle of analyzing data, determining student…

This article discusses a dilemma that confronts reformers who seek to improve the education system yet operate from a position outside that system. On one hand, "external" reformers have found that the implementation of school-level programs is attenuated by a lack of coherence and support in schools' environment. Districts and states…

The U.S. Department of Education's proposed guidelines for awarding $4 billion in Race to the Top Fund money send a strong message that any state hoping to land a competitive grant should expect to allow student test scores to be used in decisions about teacher compensation and evaluation. The draft plans outlined by department officials last…

That advisories in secondary schools are fairly pervasive around the country may be one of the great unintended consequences of the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES) reform effort. While no CES Common Principle explicitly states that advisories should exist in schools, as Coalition Schools evolved, advisories became one of the logical ways for…

In this age of accountability and limited funding, community colleges are achieving more with less. Efficiency and effectiveness are keys to innovation. NorthWest Arkansas Community College's Nonacademic Assessment and Improvement Program (NAIP) collects data to study strengths and weaknesses. These efforts culminate in a measurable improvement…

Students' engagement at school has emerged as a critical factor across hundreds of dropout prevention and recovery programs in the United States. By supporting and improving academic, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement, we can mitigate the risk of dropping out. This article describes the history of school dropout, predictors of…

President Obama announced a plan to spend an unprecedented $12-billion over 10 years to improve programs, courses, and facilities at community colleges. The money, the president said, will position two-year institutions to produce five million more graduates over the next decade and to play a leading role in rebuilding the economy. But after the…

In this short discussion article I develop some earlier writing on the theme of education, improvement and sustainability (see references). It builds upon my primary criticism of the school improvement movement that it is accustomed to thinking of education as good in and of itself. As David Orr suggests candidly in his essay in the early 1990s,…

This report describes how the Richmond County, North Carolina, Tech Prep demonstration project developed a model program with the following objectives: (1) market the Richmond Tech Prep model in every state; (2) disseminate information to at least 3,000 new persons from other states; (3) maintain assistance to previous adopters; (4) provide…

This monograph synthesizes information gathered during pilot tests and presents material relevant to developing and implementing a comprehensive career development program. It provides valuable information for those wishing to improve their career guidance and counseling programs. Discussed in chapter 1 are the following topics: the role of…

This report contains comparative information that has been systematically secured through the evaluation project on secondary vocational education in Tennessee. It presents data that were collected, recorded, and reported from three program review and evaluation instruments for administration, vocational-technical instructional programs, and…

Each year, the Illinois community colleges conduct comprehensive reviews of their current program offerings. In fiscal year 1994, the colleges reviewed a total of 870 occupational, 176 general education or academic, 53 developmental and adult education, 90 academic and student support, and 22 other programs. Occupational programs were reviewed in…

A study examined tech prep (TP) implementation in the United States. Questionnaires were mailed to a geographically representative sample of 473 of the 855 local TP coordinators identified. Completed questionnaires were returned by 84% of the coordinators surveyed. The study established that as many as 50% of the nation's high schools are…

Currently, 14 of the 22 Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree programs at New Jersey's Cumberland County College (CCC) provide work experience opportunities, incorporating hands-on experience and theories derived from instruction in the classroom. Employers who participate in work experience, or Cooperative Education (CE), programs benefit by…

This volume contains 17 articles on the emergence and potential of "Quality Improvement" (QI) efforts in higher education. Quality Improvement is defined as continuous improvement of processes in a cycle of plan (administration of instructional processes), do/check (assess), act (on the assessment and then continue to), plan-do-check-act. The…