This paper, from the Proprietary Schools Advisory Committee, is an executive summary of reports on the productivity-quality efforts of nine Illinois proprietary institutions. For each school, productivity summaries are presented for instructional, public service, and research units as well as academic and administrative functions. Examples of…

This report contains the findings of the first year of a 2-year Hudson Institute study of U.S. charter schools, which focused on their startup problems, solutions to the problems, and the policy environments in which such schools are most likely to thrive or falter. Data during 1995-96 were derived from site visits to 35 charter schools, which…

This book presents ways in which a program of individualized professional development can be designed to function within the existing public school administrative and contractual structure. Eight models for professional development are presented, with a ninth option combining approaches: instruction-centered staff development, focused-training…

This handbook describes the Edison Project, a private company that was formed in 1991 to establish partnerships with school districts across the United States. The Edison Project tailors Edison's school design to the local community's needs; upgrades school facilities and brings in sophisticated technology; takes responsibility for daily operation…

Prepared in response to a request from the Iowa state General Assembly, this report outlines major issues facing the state's community colleges and provides recommendations for increasing effectiveness and accountability. Following introductory materials, the report describes the five major guiding principals in the development of Iowa's community…

The Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) represents one of the most comprehensive pieces of educational reform legislation enacted in the United States. This article describes a series of unintended consequences that are the direct results of inconsistencies both between and within components of the reform. The inconsistencies have made certain…

There has been a rapid increase over the past 5 years in both the number of charter schools in the United States and the enthusiasm for the concept. Most research about charter schools has not addressed how charter schools create and sustain high-quality learning communities. This paper presents findings of a study that investigated how learning…

In the last decades, a number of states have passed legislation identifying the conditions under which state officials can and should intervene in the operation of school districts. This paper uses a grounded qualitative approach to develop a lexicon of concepts and a framework for comparing intervention laws across states. The paper analyzes the…

The Jersey City (New Jersey) Public Schools became the first school district in the United States to be taken over and fully operated by a state agency on October 4, 1989. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the first 2 years during which the takeover was implemented, with a focus on the internal and external forces that affected…

This paper discusses the benefits and problems of tenure at higher education institutions in light of criticisms of a lack of faculty accountability and productivity. It examines the effects of contract versus tenure systems on faculty motivation, and argues that it is not the security of tenure that reduces faculty motivation and hence…

Accountability in higher education most often concentrates on what and how to measure performance, but less often on how it can be used for planning, managing, and teaching. Besides serving higher education's consumers, accountability measures should also serve those who plan and manage institutions, especially those engaged in managing…

Although an extensive body of literature exists on Head Start, only a small part of this literature is program impact research. The body of existing research is inadequate in size, quality, and comparability for use in drawing conclusions about the impact of Head Start in any area in which Head Start provides services. This report from the General…

The Education Improvement Act (EIA) was passed in Tennessee in 1992. It established the Basic Education Program (BEP) as the funding formula used to provide adequate, equitable, and sustainable school funding. The 1997 master plan is consistent with the national Goals 2000 legislation and addresses each of the eight national goals. The plan…

In the late 1980s, state and district policymakers turned their attention from the number of academic courses to the quality of the core academic content being taught in public schools. This report focuses on the development and progress of standards-based reform in 9 states and 25 districts during 1994 and 1995. The states included California,…

As of 1996, charter schools were just emerging in the Northwest region of the United States. This publication presents the proceedings of a symposium held to review information about charter-school policy, operations, and outcomes. A cross-section of leaders in education, government, and community from the states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon,…