Defined as the provision of adequate resources to enable all children to meet a state's proficiency standards, school finance adequacy is being addressed in some way in almost every state. Because states are under increasing pressure to define what constitutes an adequate education and determine how to fund it, this issue of "Insights" examines…

This paper resulted from the work of the Study Group on Transitions in Assessments from IASA ("Improving America's Schools Act of 1994") to NCLB ("No Child Left Behind Act of 2001") comprised of state educational specialists and consultants of the Comprehensive Assessment Systems for ESEA ("Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965") Title I…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires states to prepare and disseminate an annual state report card. This requirement became effective at the beginning of the 2002-03 school year. The state agency also must ensure each local district collects appropriate data and includes this data at the district level and for each school in its annual…

This bibliography was compiled for the 2006 Summer Institute at The Centre for Literacy-"Accountability and Public Trust: Restoring the Balance." The selections include lectures, research studies, policy papers, and government documents that describe and analyze recent concepts of accountability in the context of government funding in…

The goal of this paper is to advocate that cooperative learning be a key, but not the only, methodology used in peace education. Two reasons will be put forward to support this view. First, research has shown that cooperative learning promotes positive educational outcomes generally. Second, cooperative learning is harmonious with peace education…

No Child Left Behind as well as many state policies maintain that the threat of sanctions are a method that will insure quality teaching and improved student achievement. Proponents of these policies often point to states such as Florida and Texas and their improved achievement scores under such policies. For the most part, these claims are not…

The charter renewal decision is one of the most significant high stakes decision in public education. It determines the continuing existence or termination of a school. It has the potential to be a celebration of the accomplishments and success of a school--and its students--that was built from the ground up a few years earlier. In some sense, the…

Article outlined the position of the Vice Principal, Instruction in secondary schools: to work under the direction of the principal for the improvement of curriculum and instruction throughout the school. (Author/RK)

Considered teaching effectiveness, teaching competencies, teacher certification, and the development of policy regarding the challenges posed by the competency-based approach to teacher education. (Author/RK)

Considers probable consequences of ends and means proposed by advocates of accountability. These consequences include accountability's effect on student commitment to education and on teacher professionalism. (Author)

Author considers how we should educate our youth for an unpredictable future. (Editor/RK)

Examines the move for, and the nature of, competency based teacher education which has emerged as a tentative response to the demand for more accountability in teacher education. A prospective teacher does not exit from a competency based preparation program unless he is able to demonstrate that he has mastered all its publicly stated objectives…

Perhaps the best guarantee against unrealistic expectations is for all concerned to become involved in clarifying what is meant by performance,'' competency'' based teacher education, and certification. (Author/JN)

Saying that the systems approach to teaching has not yet been sufficiently developed to revolutionize school curricula, the author advocates combining traditional approaches with in-school development of problem-solving packages. (Editor)