This report examines trends in student achievement for public school students using both state assessment data and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Recent trends on state assessments from 2004-05 through 2006-07 are examined in 30 states that had consistent assessments in place over this period and longer-term trends on the…

The AIDS epidemic presents a complex of issues that require global answers, involving entire societies. The only sustainable solution is to include all sectors of society in a multidisciplinary collaboration, within which the formal education system plays a key role in delivering a comprehensive response to the disease at the national level.…

The Program for Disadvantaged Youth, funded by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, understood that the ultimate impact of the program on students would depend on the capacity of principals to take on new leadership roles and responsibilities. This report analyzes principals' perceptions of the variety of professional development opportunities in…

A multi-institutional database has been established to characterize selected aspects of the professional and personal lives of physicians 5 to 10 years after graduation from combined baccalaureate-M.D. degree (CD) programs. The purpose of this study is to explore whether these graduates' attitudes toward their education, their practice patterns,…

This publication presents findings of a study that explored the professional needs of principals at various stages in their careers. Data were collected from several sources: two focus groups of Texas principals; a regional survey of 97 principals; an analysis of the professional development plans of five Texas rural school principals and six…

Noting that within the area of literacy, writing is a young area of study, this research report looks at the impact of the national Center for the Study of Writing and Literacy's 10 years of sustained research. The paper first considers how Center research projects and activities have been tied together to address three interlocking sets of…

This report contains the findings of two task forces established during 1994 by the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence: (1) the Task Force on Improving Kentucky Schools; and (2) the Task Force on Restructuring Time and Learning. The task forces, comprised of parents and business members of the Prichard Committee, examined key elements of…

Partnering for Elementary Environmental Science, a professional development program developed to enhance teachers' skills and content knowledge in science education, pairs classroom teachers with resource professionals for one year of collaborative instruction. This paper reports part of the evaluation and research related to the program.…

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which the structure or patterning of supervisor and supervisee verbal interaction during supervision is enhanced or moderated by: (1) the problem severity (degree of impairment and level of distress of the client); (2) the anxiety of the supervisee and supervisor toward the client and toward…

The cohort concept has recently been reconsidered in response to pressures for reform in school-leadership preparation programs. A cohort is defined as a group of students who engage in a program of studies together. Surveys sent to 37 institutions across the United States that use cohort models in their administrator-preparation courses elicited…

The uncertain context of educational practice caused by reform proposals has created a dilemma for architects of educational-administration programs. If program designers do not respond positively to reform movements, they may fail to equip beginning administrators with the necessary knowledge and skills. On the other hand, if the preparation…

This newsletter provides examples from four small, rural school districts of how innovative superintendents plan and provide resources and provide staff development, which are two of the six ways that school administrators effect change. The superintendents are located in a small poor district in the Arkansas Mississippi Delta region, a primarily…

As part of the Child Care Aware initiative's 5-year process evaluation, this report describes the findings of a survey of 2,095 family child care providers, concerning the type of training they received through the initiative and issues related to accreditation and professionalism. Child Care Aware was sponsored in community sites, promoting the…

This document reports on a project to identify and analyze the desire for professional collegiality and concerns about increasing alienation among members of the Queensland Institute for Educational Administration (QIEA). From a 3-phase workshop involving over 500 participants, 7 major issues were identified: (1) complexity of teaching and…

A national survey of more than 800 teachers found that these teachers' top reason for participating in professional development is to bolster their ability to help students learn; almost 3 in 4 said they engage in professional growth to improve student achievement; and a majority (55 percent) said they participate in professional development to…