In an increasingly competitive global economy, the consequences of dropping out of high school are devastating to individuals, communities and our national economy. At an absolute minimum, adults need a high school diploma if they are to have any reasonable opportunities to earn a living wage. A community where many parents are dropouts is…

Using survey research method, the paper examined, evaluated, and assessed the services and programs provided by a graduate and professional student organization in a Big-10 University in the US. The organization provides services to over fifteen thousand graduate and professional students and has a significant role in enhancing and improving…

During the 2002-2003 academic year, six roundtables were held to explore uses of the data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) for improvement of student learning. This paper describes the roundtable discussion held in Kentucky in December 2002. This roundtable focused on ways the NSSE can contribute to state-level efforts on…

This paper asserts that while many factors contribute to the poor quality of education in New York City public schools, one of the primary obstacles to guaranteeing the right to education is a widespread lack of accountability by school officials. This lack of participation is tied to the school system's failure to ensure effective participation…

Raising academic standards for all students and measuring student achievement to hold schools accountable for educational progress are central strategies for promoting educational excellence and equity in our schools. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) reformed Federal educational programs to support State efforts to establish challenging…

This short paper is part of a collection of 54 papers from the 48th annual conference of the Education Law Association held in November 2002. It discusses educational voucher programs. It states that proponents of voucher programs, having scored a major victory in the U.S. Supreme Court with "Zelman v. Simmons-Harris" (2002), will…

The critical years between ages 9 and 15 are an ideal and essential time to teach those students to accept responsibility for the consequences of their own behavior, to recognize that mistakes can become opportunities for learning, and to help them learn how to formulate and live with classroom and community rules that promote responsibility,…

The Canadian Standards and Guidelines for Career Development Practitioners have become a means to unify the career development community; assess the professional competencies of career practitioners; market the knowledge and skills sets of practitioners; and raise the profile of career development. This paper provides background information on the…

This bulletin explores promotion of school safety by increasing students' accountability for their behavior. It provides information to facilitate the development of constructive, well-conceived, accountability-based programs that work with juvenile offenders. These programs also address the issues of violence, disorder, and fear. The bulletin…

Connecticut's Public Act 99-285 clarifies the major goals and expectations that Connecticut citizens have for their public system of higher education. In this Act, the state legislature has codified its desires by identifying six priority level goals for higher education: (1) enhance student learning and promote academic excellence; (2) join with…

Connecticut State law requires each constituent unit of higher education to submit its first accountability report to the Connecticut Commissioner of Higher Education by January 1, 2001. The Commissioner is charged with compiling these reports. The accountability measures used were developed by the state's Higher Education Coordinating Council.…

This Critical Success Factors Report is an accountability document for the North Carolina Community College System; it is also the result of a process undertaken to streamline and simplify accountability reporting by the community college system. The 12 performance measures for accountability, also labeled as the 12 core indicators of student…

In Illinois, 39 community college districts and one multi-community college center provide access to nearly one million students each year. The Illinois Community College System developed this strategic plan, the "Promise for Illinois," to outline the role community colleges should play in building a strong future for the state and its…

This report presents the findings of an analysis of the Academic Performance Index (API) scores based on SATs taken in 1999, 2000, and 2001. It focuses on charter schools in California that serve students from low socioeconomic-status (SES) families. The purpose of the study was to see how standardized test scores from charter schools serving…

As the charter-school option has expanded across the country, contracting for educational management services is an increasingly available and attractive choice for charter-school governing boards and founding groups. To make contractual relationships work well, charter-school boards need to strike an effective balance between fulfilling their…