What are the characteristics of professional development that improve teaching practice? This report addresses this question, using data from the National Evaluation of the Eisenhower Professional Development Program. The Eisenhower program is part of the federal government's efforts to support education reform based on high standards. The success…

This article focuses on data-based decision making at the school level and provides guidelines for principals. Necessary prior conditions, methods for developing a data-oriented culture, and expected outcomes are discussed. By using data, administrators can analyze programmatic decisions and promote empowerment of staff.

Pre-K Now was created as a part of a major grant-making strategy of The Pew Charitable Trusts to assist national and state leaders to design and implement sound, research-based policies that support voluntary access to high-quality pre-K for all three- and four-year-old children in the United States. Pre-K Now's vision is a nation in which every…

This study was carried out to ascertain the quality assurance of teachers (lecturers) in the implementation of the curriculum of Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) in Colleges of Education (Technical) in North Central Nigeria. Two research questions were formulated and answered in this study. Survey research and evaluation designs were…

Many studies point to potential unintended consequences of accountability systems such as when schools narrow their teaching to fixate on tested subjects. As a result, some states and districts in the USA have complemented the federal test-based accountability system with additional measures of educational practices to hold schools accountable on…

This article looks at the curriculum redesign of a master's-level program in international marketing from a UK perspective. In order to ensure that the program would be more fit-for-purpose for future managers working under conditions of complexity, uncertainty, and within regimes often very different from the home market, the team began the…

Background: Many parents with intellectual disabilities (ID) want and/or need professional guidance and support to learn skills and strategies to prevent and manage child behaviour problems. However, the available support is rarely suitable, and suitable support is rarely available. The aim of this study was to determine whether a popular…

As candidates in the 2012 election debated issues raised by the state of the US economy, unemployment statistics and job creation took center stage. The problems under discussion posed (and continue to pose) a particularly clear and pressing challenge to the nation's graduate schools. While the US enjoys a reputation for having the most dynamic…

The question for this brief is whether education leaders can use value-added measures as tools for improving schooling and, if so, how to do this. Districts, states, and schools can, at least in theory, generate gains in educational outcomes for students using value-added measures in three ways: creating information on effective programs, making…

The evidence of the benefits of home visiting has revealed varying results and little is known about the elements that make programs of value to the families at highest risk for dysfunction. The variability in the effects of home visiting programs is linked to many factors, including program content and goals, the family and community context, the…

Founded in 1997, the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) designed a system that balances three sources of evidence in a single accreditation system: (1) that the program's graduates are qualified, competent, and caring beginning teachers; (2) that the program faculty investigates the factors that improve program quality; and (3) that…

The University of North Texas's Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science began admitting students to its 2-year early college entrance science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program in the fall of 1988. This program provided accelerated entry for top students in Texas in the areas of mathematics and science. Approximately 200…

This paper discusses research, (its process and results), on an inner city school. It highlights the methods of data collection used in the research and discusses the findings. Methods of data collection include observation, interview and documentary information. Results indicate that the school in question is making modest strides, in terms of…

Teacher and trainer training is one of the most important determinants of the success of reforms in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems in recent years in the Mediterranean region. This is based upon the assumption that the role of teachers and trainers in the reform of TVET is a dual one; that of stakeholder and…

This paper takes a large-scale social perspective in describing a national project in Australia that was premised on local school communities working together and contributing ideas for the benefit of their students, and potentially, the whole country. The project was intended to improve schools' capacity for educating boys, and in the long-term,…