Examines contradictions between school accountability legislation and the moral leadership applicable to its development and implementation. Using the ethics of critique, justice, and care, analyzes Ohio's recent fiscal and accountability legislation, which may be setting school districts up for failure. Policymakers must examine their moral…

Examines the evolution of deregulation as a state education policy strategy, from limited waiver programs to charter programs and new accountability systems that include broad deregulation. The article discusses the substantial political and practical barriers to broad deregulation despite the assumption that greater school-level autonomy will…

Considers how to maintain academic integrity when using Web-based instruction in higher education. Highlights include standards for traditional courses; accountability; secure testing; and creating a virtual community, including collaborative learning elements. (LRW)

Applies four measures of disparate impact (four-fifths rule, Hazelwood rule, Shoben rule, and rule of practical significance) to Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) performance data for racial/ethnic groups. Compares findings to data on school quality and math course completion by racial/ethnic group. (Contains 21 references.) (SV)

Are state accountability systems hurting minority and low- income children's education or increasing equity? The answer is both, depending on which system, interacting components, or time periods are being considered. System flaws in Texas and elsewhere may be distracting folks from historic improvement possibilities. (Contans 23 references.) (MLH)

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) clearly identifies community colleges as integral players in creating a high quality workforce. With multiple funding streams, greater local control over system design, and a mandate for universal access, community colleges must be able to address the client tracking and data management challenges that…

This article emphasizes the importance of documenting gifted education results to governing bodies such as state legislatures and school boards. It discusses three general issues of communication with decision-makers: being clear on intentions, being considerate of decision-makers, and providing useful information. Data gathering suggestions for…

Describes a nexus between teacher education, teacher education research, and state policy, tracing the past dozen years of efforts designed to both support and retain California teachers in their early years; highlighting the California New Teacher Project and the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program; and noting the rapid expansion in…

Evaluated a peer assessment procedure to factor in the contributions of individual group members engaged in an integrated group project. Findings demonstrated that the method resulted in a substantially wider spread of marks being given to individual students; about one-third received a grade different from the grade the project as a whole would…

The language of school reform is rooted predominantly in the technological perspective. Reviews technological, psychological, ideological, and sociological (descriptive and prescriptive) perspectives and elaborates on the technological, highlighting the need for competitive education, especially in math and science; efficient programs (physical…

Discusses the contextualized needs of rural language arts teachers, highlighting how one such teacher responded to challenges she faced and noting how graduate teacher education programs can be tailored to provide teachers access to the theory, pedagogical approaches, professional networks, and opportunities for empowerment that can help them…

Discusses ways in which the logic of mandated systems of mass testing, as a means of ensuring the accountability of public schools, results in the loss of local responsibility for student learning, as well as an inevitable orientation of local schools to comply with system directives over personal, professional, and community values. (Contains 55…

Presents the case study of a high school English department's decision making process during portfolio scoring, focusing on nine teachers, to show one unintended consequence of using portfolios for accountability. Findings show that because the teachers could not be equally caring, just, and truthful to all stakeholders, they experienced ethical…

Examines the national educational assessment systems of Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay to explore the role of politics and state-polity relations in shaping the design, implementation, and impact of national assessment systems. Discusses the rapid global diffusion of national assessment systems and the impact of centralized versus decentralized…

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education developed draft standards for Professional Development Schools (PDSs). This article discusses the PDS concept and origins, examines why PDSs are important, and argues for standards as a means of supporting the PDS work and holding PDSs accountable for multiple results. The draft standards…