Studies of Texas' testing program, initiated in 1992, identify several factors contributing to improved achievement: alignment with state standards; results that inform instruction; understandable, attainable rating systems that encourage improvements for all populations; balance between school/student accountability; stable, yet improvable…

Describes approaches taken in Texas to bring about academic accountability for students of limited English proficiency through evaluating and reporting annually on their progress in English-language literacy and their learning of school subjects and by documenting the growth in successful performance on state tests by this special population. (SLD)

Preventive legal risk management is about implementing policies and practices that protect an organization from the risk of legal claims and that help ensure that the organization complies with its legal obligations. A well-structured process will prevent or minimize adverse effects on a school's human, physical, and financial assets. (Contains 26…

When state funding systems are declared unconstitutional, equity/adequacy issues are considered while ignoring unintended consequences. This article describes how school finance litigation has unintentionally influenced governance, fiscal and academic accountability, and secondary educators' practice. Two consequences are more state oversight and…

Asserts that community college leaders must think strategically and understand the difference between what is important and immediate, and what is strategic and essential to the long-term survival of a college. States that thinking strategically aligns decision-making and actions with the core purpose of the college; produces core competencies in…

Discusses the interplay between assessment policies in Uruguay and state-society relations. Shows how national student evaluation has come to symbolize an agreed-on mechanism of social accountability by which the central government upholds its responsibility for educational provision as it intervenes on behalf of impoverished communities.…

School inspections under England's Office for Standards in Education (OfSTED) involve observation and grading of individual staff's teaching performance. Results are reported to headteachers. Research in secondary schools has discovered substantial, widespread discrepancies between inspectors' gradings of "very poor" teachers and…

In 655 schools in 27 states, the Literacy Collaborative aims to improve elementary students' literacy achievement. A trained literacy coordinator trains other teachers and provides in-class coaching. Systematic collection of data on every child and data utilization by all program participants support continuous school improvement and create a…

Explores how most states have adopted financing systems that link colleges' appropriations to performance, despite little evidence that the plans produce results. (EV)

Discusses the need to revise concepts of teaching and learning in relation to technology. Topics include distance learning; accountability in learning and the outcomes of the educational process; the relationship between humans and technology; globalization; measuring an organization's knowledge; assessment; regulating agencies; and the role of…

Developmentalism is an educational doctrine that presumes natural development to be optimal and requires that teaching practices overcome a presumption that they interfere with an optimal developmental trajectory. It actually impedes efforts to hold schools accountable for student achievement in that it rejects or ignores research on best teaching…

Examines the relationship between special educational needs and resource levels, drawing on two local education authorities as case studies. One LEA uses a professional-audit approach to allocate resources; the other uses educational tests. A critical examination disclosed benefits and drawbacks for each accountability system. (Contains 18…

Beginning September 1999, the School Standards and Framework Act (1998) requires all maintained schools and city technology colleges in England and Wales to have a written home-school agreement and associated parental declaration. This article places this mandate within a historical context and highlights enforceability and defined…

Under North Carolina's ABC's accountability program, public schools are labeled "exemplary,""meets expectations,""adequate performance," or "low performance." Teachers are given $1,500 bonuses if their schools exceed expectations. A survey found that mandated tests increased student anxiety and negatively…

In January 1998, 12 francophone school boards were established in Ontario, up from 4 in 1989. This new level of autonomy brings with it the new political reality of accountability. Francophone school boards, in addition to educating students within provincial policies, are responsible for maintenance of French language and culture to ensure…