Interest is growing in planning and implementing new systems of holding child and family services accountable for results. The Results-Based Accountability (RBA) Project at the Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) has supported and built upon recent state efforts to develop these new accountability systems for child and family services. The RBA…

Interest is growing in planning and implementing new systems of holding child and family services accountable for results. The Results-Based Accountability (RBA) Project at the Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) has supported and built upon recent state efforts to develop these new accountability systems for child and family services. The RBA…

Interest is growing in planning and implementing new systems of holding child and family services accountable for results. The Results-Based Accountability (RBA) Project at the Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) has supported and built upon recent state efforts to develop these new accountability systems for child and family services. This…

This document contains accountability profiles with detailed information for the Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools. Each profile contains a description of the school, district, or area characteristics and highlights identified by the principal or superintendent. Profiles also contain the 1996-1997 priorities…

A growing number of states are using annual school-level test scores as part of their school accountability systems. This paper highlights an under-appreciated weakness of that approach, the imprecision of school-level test score means, and proposes a method for discerning signal from noise in annual school report cards. Using methods developed in…

This document is intended to help teachers prepare students for the "exit exam of essential skills" required by the Student Accountability Standards enacted by the North Carolina State Board of Education. The strategies in this guide are based on two essential premises: following the North Carolina "Standard Course of Study"…

This paper contains proposed state exiting standards for the Idaho K-12 public school system. All schools are to deliver a core of instruction and advisement programs for each student. Students are to meet locally established standards (at a minimum, the state standards), which can be assessed by challenging examinations, demonstrations of…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that investigated teacher perceptions of the educational value of the Indiana Assessment System of Educational Proficiencies (IASEP) as an effective tool used to evaluate educational progress for students with moderate and severe disabilities. Fifteen teachers of students with moderate and severe…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is now accepted as the nation's report card, but getting there took over 30 years and a convoluted process beset by technical and political issues. After a summary of the history of the NAEP and its successful use as a monitoring instrument, the ramifications of the use of the NAEP as an…

Organizations can try to see into the future by identifying and describing megatrends--the large social, economic, political, and technological changes that have long-term effects. Recognizing the extensive benefits of considering future shifts and trends in the strategic planning process, Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL)…

This report analyzes the findings from an evaluation of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, using data from interviews with leaders around Alabama and leaders from business, local and state government, news media, and education. Section 1 describes the approach taken to this required evaluation. Section 2 explains terminology used in the…

This book explores the link between school character and school improvement. It focuses on the construction of a schooling system based on layered loyalties and shared accountability, ideas that build on local initiatives and concerns without compromising the interests of stakeholders. Chapter 1 examines the role that culture plays in providing a…

This report presents findings of an investigation of the use of federal research and development grant funds by the University of California system in its payments to graduate student researchers (GSRs). Specifically, the study examined whether: (1) compensation paid to GSRs was in accordance with guidelines of the Office of Management and Budget;…

Project GRAD is a non-profit prekindergarten through college reform initiative begun by James Ketelsen, a former CEO of Tenneco, to help students in high-poverty schools to gain the skills and then the financial assistance to go on to college. Success for All is a literacy strategy used by GRAD. Other programmatic components include GRAD…

Increasingly, public officials in California and across the nation want to know, or at least be reassured, that public investments in what had traditionally been called university outreach programs are having desired effects on student achievement and college preparedness among targeted student groups. For the most part, such programs are now…