Owners of public building projects are increasingly turning to Interdisciplinary Coordination and Constructibility Reviews prior to going out to bid. The ICCR is a methodical quality-assurance process designed to make building projects more cost effective, constructible, and of better quality. This article describes the Preconstruction ICCR…

Standards, designed to identify and measure the "value added of schooling," are instrumental, not an end in themselves. Every school district needs an academic audit, a systematic way to examine and analyze academic performance by relevant categories. Its purpose is to improve the allocation of district resources to increase academic…

Peer mediation programs' flexibility is their major strength and a potential weakness. The article examines positive and negative aspects of peer mediation programs; discusses implementation, evaluation, and funding mechanisms; and explores ethical concerns, highlighting accessibility, acceptance, accountability, supervision, training, and…

Problems with J. Frymier's conception of accountability are discussed, and recent evidence is summarized that shows the strong connection between school and teacher effectiveness measurements and student achievement. Policy issues and cautions in using teacher effectiveness measures in teacher accountability systems are considered. (SLD)

Discusses issues that arise when conducting costs analyses for child language-disorder treatments. Clinicians are urged to recognize the importance of cost-effectiveness studies to maintain control over the integrity of the studies and ensure that responsible decisions are made regarding the development and use of treatments and technologies.…

Reform policy adoption and implementation is examined in the states of Colorado and Maryland. The cases illustrate how three theoretical perspectives (institutional, rational/technical, and interpretive) facilitate an understanding of policy sustainability and adequacy. (MMU)

Government policy of competition is resisted and reconstructed by secondary school head teachers from the United Kingdom in the newly formed Urban Schools Development Group. Emphasis is placed on school collaborations between secondary and partner primary schools, and on partnerships between parents and teachers to restore policy coherence and…

Examines the Fort Worth Independent School District's decentralized decision-making system through three lenses: a review of site-based decision-making procedures at several schools; an examination of who participates; and stakeholders' perceptions. Some schools operated democratically, significantly including teachers, parents, and community…

Provides a general framework for examining the consequences of assessment programs, especially statewide programs that intend to improve student learning by holding schools accountable. The framework is intended for use with programs using performance-based tasks but can be used with programs using traditional item formats as well. (SLD)

Describes a philosophy and outlines a process that enables institutions to sustain their values while providing evidence of their effectiveness. States that by shifting institutional focus to documentation of student achievement, institutions create a framework to convert implied learning assumptions into explicit learning outcomes. Asserts that…

This article reviews relevant theory and the practical implications of measuring assistive technology outcomes of students with disabilities. Rasch Measurement Scaling, Time Series Concurrent and Differential Approach, and the Multi-Attribute Utility Model are proposed for potential use in assistive technology outcome measurement and future…

Describes why and how assessment and accountability can and have become destructive forces. Offers a historical perspective, and examines the crux of the problem: "polluted test scores." Offers examples from the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills test, and from Chicago's summer school program. Points to directions educators might take…

Discusses (from the point of view of the coordinator of Vermont's statewide, portfolio-based writing assessment) the dangers of assessment, and how it can freeze or frustrate students or teachers. Uses examples from Vermont to argue that vigilance is necessary to ensure the survival of personal voice and style in this era of standards. (SR)

Over the past century, American public schools have changed according to educators' initiative to establish and refine a system of public schooling. Change has been driven by social and political influences, and most recently, by an ill-defined sense of economic progress. Educators seem dedicated to change without understanding what constitutes a…

A review of the history of standards-based reform in public education is followed by analysis of trends in including students with disabilities in all aspects of standards-based reform: setting standards, participating in assessments, making assessment accommodations, reporting results, developing accountability systems, and teaching/learning. The…