This study examined the perceptions of chief instructional officers (CIOs) at community colleges accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) regarding: difficulty in meeting accreditation criteria for part-time faculty, challenges in implementing commonly cited practices for employing and utilizing part-time faculty,…

The Program for Student Achievement (PSA) focused on improving urban middle-grades student achievement in participating districts in Texas and California. Districts were asked to establish performance targets for eighth graders in core academic areas. The PSA conducted a quantitative evaluation of districts' progress and produced an annual report…

In 2001, the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans was created to develop a multi-year plan for closing the achievement gap facing Hispanic Americans and attaining the goals established by the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. The Commission defined five strategic imperatives: coordinating a national…

In 1996, a subcommittee of the State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards commissioned a study of the use of performance-based assessments in large-scale accountability systems. The idea was to look into current state assessment work on performance-based assessments to see what has been learned, but not widely reported, by those who…

This report, from the Council of the Great City Schools' "Cities Building Cities" program, examines Detroit Public Schools' instructional program. The main goals of the Council's review were to: (1) compare Detroit with other urban school districts that were raising student performance; (2) propose strategies--based on what was working…

One prominent approach to school improvement focuses on strengthening school accountability. This paper explains how three main issues keep the theory (which links school accountability to school performance) from working in practice. The issues involve: (1) implementation controversies dealing with standards, incentives, and constituencies; (2)…

Counselors must make sound ethical decisions but, often, determining the appropriate course to take when confronted with a difficult ethical dilemma can be a challenge. This guide assists counselors in ethical decision making; it is presented as a supplement, and is to be used in conjunction with, the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of…

An accountability system is proposed for the education system in Washington. Reform efforts in Washington have been designed to create a school-centered system in which state standards motivate teachers, parents, and principals to search for more effective ways to help students learn. Drawing on the experience of other states, recommendations are…

This study examined the extent to which students with disabilities are included in accountability systems in states in which there are high stakes for educational systems. Conducted through a World Wide Web search of states' education Web sites and direct links to their Web sites, the study examined the indicators on which states collect…

A study examined state Individualized Education Program (IEP) forms to determine the extent to which they include documentation of standards and assessments. All 50 states were asked to send their IEP Forms and to indicate whether they were required, recommended, or simply sample forms. Out of the 41 states with IEP forms, only 5 states…

Arizona has nearly 25 percent of the charter schools in the nation. These Arizona schools present something new: the first system approaching comprehensive school choice in the real world. This edited volume assembles the perspectives of social scientists and education practitioners and gives the first published account of the Arizona charter…

This is a study of selected counties in the Community College Service Areas of Beaufort County Community College, College of The Albemarle, Halifax Community College, Martin Community College, Roanoke-Chowan Community College, and Vance-Granville Community College in North Carolina. The purpose of this study was to provide an assessment of the…

This paper addresses how school effectiveness and school improvement, as they have been interpreted in United Kingdom central and local government policy, have affected schools and other educational bodies connected with them. It draws on Michael Power's book, "The Audit Society: Rituals of Verification," to understand the appeal of this…

This how-to guide and workbook helps planners and participants who want to develop an exemplary mentoring program or upgrade an existing one. It is designed to help readers: obtain broad-based commitment and participation from key individuals and groups; understand and work within the larger environment in which a mentoring program operates; form…

This brief addresses the benefits and concerns raised by the use of high stakes testing as the centerpiece of new accountability systems. It offers some recommendations for policymakers seeking to incorporate such tests into state accountability systems. High stakes tests can clarify and establish challenging performance expectations for students,…