The author defines a new role for student affairs professionals, Student Development Activists (SDA) who act as co-partners with the faculty and work for instructional reform. (Author/HMV)

The issue covered in this paper involves accountability, an issue that has been discussed almost entirely in terms of adequate instruments for measuring learning and teacher effectiveness, rather than in terms of philosophical assumptions. (JD)

Recent issues in higher education suggest that universities are on the defensive, and that the educational community will be better served by trying to set a new agenda with the public. Two topics for this agenda are offered: the loss of a common perspective and the relationship of people to institutions. (LBH)

In studies relating teacher effectiveness and student achievement, the establishment of empirical relationships between teacher behavior as an independent variable and student behavior as a dependent variable is essential. Problems concerned with instrumentation, methodology, and statistics of such research are discussed. (BT)

Since 1993, New York City has a major advocate for the public school children at the New York State Department of Education: Associate Commissioner Sheila Evans-Tranumn. Herself a product of the New York City public schools, Sheila has a genuine and firm commitment to helping the public schools provide every child with a quality education. To…

This PT3 initiative focuses on the development and dissemination of the Instructional Technology, Assessment and Action Research (ITAAR) Model, an instructional planning and improvement model for use in K-12 classrooms that incorporates instructional design principles, data driven decision-making, technology, classroombased assessment, and action…

The purpose of this report is to help in the evolution of these systems by examining the measures used, including, but not limited to, tests. The author asks: Are these the best measures? Are they used right? Are there other measures that should be employed? It is the model of reform itself that is examined, and the report does not address…

Goal 9 of twelve Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Challenge to Lead goals is that every school regardless of its student population, location or surrounding economic circumstances has a leader who can work with faculty to increase student learning. This report discusses progress toward this goal since 2002 in the 16 SREB states. It also is…

Louisiana Educational Assessment Program for the 21st Century (LEAP 21) is an integral part of the Louisiana school and district accountability system passed by the state legislature and signed into law in 1997. The primary purposes of the accountability system are to raise expectations for achievement for all Louisiana public school students and…

Public school students have completed this year's testing under the 2003-04 Wisconsin Student Assessment System "Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations" (WKCE). These examinations were administered at grades 4, 8, and 10 as required by s. 118.30, Wis. Stats. The test results will provide important information about what students know and…

The vast majority of Montgomery County public schools made sufficient progress on state testing and accountability standards in 2004 to comply with the adequate yearly progress (AYP) requirements under the "No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001." Information released by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) in October 2004…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 has generated much discussion from practitioners and policymakers from both sides of the political aisle and increasingly, the general public. While the definition of "adequate yearly progress" and the accountability provisions of NCLB have received the most public attention, a key area--the…

Investing in education is viewed as important to ensuring the success of the nation's children. One of the largest dollar investments in education is teacher salaries. In fact, roughly 60 percent of all instructional dollars go to paying teachers. How well are they paid and are their salaries based on what policymakers value in a quality teacher?…

This paper reports on a study of early childhood musical identities. Participants were children aged 3-8 years and their parent(s) from three geographically disparate areas in the state of New South Wales, Australia and Hawaii, USA. Data were collected in the form of semi-structured interviews, focusing on what, where and with whom the children…

In its broadest terms, the learning paradigm calls for institutional change and institutional responsibility for learning outcomes. Leaders have to develop structures and processes that allow for more flexibility and creativity. Decisions have to become more data-driven. Barriers to student success have to be identified and removed. This book…