Many school administrator candidates enter the principalship with great potential, but sometimes lack the critical guidance to ensure success. With the many challenges facing principals daily, it is imperative for new and seasoned principals alike to remain informed, rejuvenated, and passionate about providing students with a quality education and…

The Committee on Education and the Workforce heard testimony on the financial accountability in the Head Start Early Childhood program. Statements of members were presented by: Honorable John A. Boehner, Chairman, Committee on Education and the Workforce; Honorable Michael N. Castle (R-DE); Honorable George Miller, Ranking Member, Committee on…

This study examined the relationship between the quality of classroom talk and academic rigor in reading comprehension lessons. In addition, the study aimed to characterize effective questions to support rigorous reading comprehension lessons. The data were collected as a part of the Instructional Quality Assessment (IQA) pilot. The IQA is a…

This report provides a bi-annual snapshot of how states regulate and support programs and services for gifted and talented learners. The report, developed from a survey of the state directors of programs for the gifted, covers questions about funding, state education agency support, mandates, identification, programs and services, personnel…

Education reforms such as "A Nation at Risk" and "Goals 2000" have come and gone. However, educators can be confident that the goal of student improvement shall not pass if the core mission is student learning. The true mission of learning has prompted educators to ponder the following questions: (1) How should each student to…

Graduating more students prepared to meet the social, civic, and economic challenges of coming decades is a national priority. Indeed, institutional graduation rates are being scrutinized by state legislatures and by those in Congress drafting the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Every college and university can improve its graduation…

Recently, the Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis at the University of Southern California conducted a national study of public higher education governing board performance. 130 board members, presidents, coordinating board officials, governors, legislators, and education department staff were interviewed about ways to improve performance…

H.R. 366, The Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act, is intended to help states, community colleges, and other postsecondary education institutions and local educational agencies better utilize funds for vocational and technical education programs, increase accountability, emphasize student achievement, and strengthen opportunities…

Faculty, instructional staff, and assessment professionals are interested in student outcomes assessment processes and tools that can be used to improve learning experiences and academic programs. How can students' skills be assessed effectively? What assessments measure skills in communication? Leadership? Information literacy? Quantitative…

Education funding today is a mess, and a solution is needed that addresses its biggest problems: most disadvantaged students do not receive the funding they need; red tape and overhead waste time and money; and new types of education options, like charter schools, are starved for dollars. Unfortunately, until now, so-called solutions have…

This paper asserts that California's system of education funding is rife with waste. A state commission found that the system was "convoluted--driving up administrative costs, diverting attention from educational concerns, and depriving the public of readily accessible, comparative information." The paper suggests that the California…

Since the 1960s, the world has undergone transformations in trade, industry, and technology. Some assert that the postmodern society needs organizational structures that allow for diversity, instability, unpredictability, and mobility. However, this paper argues that the headlong rush toward such organizational forms may well encourage the…

In 1999, Illinois enacted a tuition tax credit program. Tax credit supporters suggest tax credits help low-income students. However, opponents argue that they disproportionately benefit higher-income families whose children are already attending private schools and may decrease already limited resources available to public schools. New data from…

This document is a chapter in "The Principles and Practice of Educational Management," which aims to provide a systematic and analytical introduction to the study of educational management. The structure of the book reflects the main substantive areas of educational leadership and management, and most of the major themes are covered in the…

This paper presents the results of the first year evaluation of a 2-year project, "Comprehensive Accountability, Professional Development, and Assessment System for the Tri-County Charter School Partnership." This partnership of five charter schools was working to develop a replicable and comprehensive accountability system for each of…