Private tutoring is one of the unintended outcomes of high-stakes testing and has become a widespread global phenomenon. It is called shadow education because it mimics the mainstream curriculum. From the critical perspective, this study investigated the role of private tutoring in a context of high-stakes testing through Interpretative…

In this article, we explore how values in education are negotiated and partly redefined by teachers, school leaders and local administrators with data use and accountability. Two dilemmas are prominent for the teachers: 1) Testing and data use are perceived as important to meet the needs of the students and to create transparency and initiating…

It's been nearly 25 years since the first MCAS tests were taken. Since then, the test and the state's accountability system have brought resources to underfunded schools, highlighted inequities in our education system, and pushed Massachusetts to first in the nation in academics. But, with progress stalling, a new understanding of the importance…

A college degree or credential is a crucial stepping-stone to the middle class, and American colleges and universities play an essential role in building a more prosperous, equitable country. However, too many colleges routinely and disproportionately enroll students who end up struggling to repay or, worse, default on their student debt. "A…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) had mixed effects on the nation's educational ecosystem. NCLB succeeded in shifting the focus from inputs to outcomes, shining a light on performance of different student subgroups, and using reporting requirements to spur development of more-robust education data systems. But NCLB included several…

This book describes the practice of poetic inquiry and takes the reader through the process of translating lived experience into poetry that attends to the lives of others. Using her own writing--from early drafts to published poems--Apol demonstrates elements of poetic inquiry that both give it strength and make it complicated: the importance of…

The education system's purpose is to enable every student to have the knowledge and skills to reach their full potential -- which requires students are college and career ready. But for far too many students, the system is falling short. A recent report found 60 percent of high school graduates were not college or career ready. Closing this gap…

The purpose of this paper is to provide background for the vision statement, "An Argument-based Framework for Valid and Actionable Assessment for English Learners in Secondary Grades." We begin by identifying the problem we intended to address in the vision statement for an assessment framework. This is followed by a discussion about the…

This dissertation examined the leadership storytelling uses and practices by rural, public school superintendents in North Georgia who are engaged in change and innovation through agreements with the state in exchange for flexibility waivers from Title 20 of the Georgia Code. This study was the result of the participation of five rural,…

The purpose of this research study was to examine how novice teachers make sense of the realities of their chosen profession, given their initial motivations for entering the profession. My research into teacher motivation and retention provided evidence that teachers did enter the field for altruistic reasons and that as many as 50% of all new…

Purpose: The purpose of this explanatory mixed methods study was to identify and describe what exemplary female presidents in California community colleges do to stay grounded and maintain physical, emotional, intellectual, social, vocational, and spiritual health. Methodology: This mixed methods study identified and described the perceptions of…

This article aims to examine how Cuban higher education has implemented and created frameworks for key performance indicators (KPIs) to enhance its higher education accountability and quality. Referring to the past 15 years of available data on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's website (2005-2020), this study…

Based extensive fieldwork and interviews, this study explains teacher evaluation policy enactment as shaped by three conditions: (1) a principal's backgrounds, role perceptions, knowledge of instruction, and interactions with teachers; (2) teachers' perspectives; and (3) environmental demands. Notably, principals may lack the backgrounds,…

This annual publication of "The ABCs of School Choice" is a comprehensive, data-rich guide to every private school choice program in America. This edition of "The ABCs of School Choice" defines each of the four types of school choice: education savings accounts, vouchers, tax-credit scholarships and individual tax credits and…

This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to investigate how 14 elementary principals initiated and managed organizational change in high-poverty National Blue Ribbon award-winning elementary schools in rural and urban areas in the United States. Data was collected using a purposeful sampling method using a published list of exemplary…