Philadelphia's school reform initiative, Children Achieving" was evaluated. The focus in this report is on decentralization, exploring how Children Achieving is strengthening schools' capacity to make and carry out informed decisions that lead to schoolwide standards, how the new structures are working at various levels of the system, and how…

This selection of readings in the field of educational reform presents 46 articles, mostly from the news media, and 2 cartoons related to improvement of the educational system. It opens with "Network Notes," brief reports and reviews about events and recent publications of interest to those concerned with educational reform. The first…

This booklet is designed to help parents understand how Washington schools are raising their academic standards. It also points out questions parents should ask about their children's schools and describes some at-home activities that will help a child make the most of time in and out of the classroom. The educational improvement effort in…

Based on the findings of a 1998 conference on the new assessment and accountability requirements in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), this report discusses critical issues that surround the assessment provisions included in the 1997 IDEA amendments and contains recommendations related to state and district-wide assessments…

This report discusses the findings of a study that compared identified desirable characteristics of state accountability reports with 20 accountability reports generated by 7 states. Desirable characteristics included (1) clarity (the intended audience, statements of purpose, a description of the population being reported on and the states'…

Several methods by which teachers are able to make a useful assessment of their own instruction and prescribe improvements for their own teaching are described. The literature on these evaluation methods is also reviewed. These methods include: reflective evaluation, an important part of the new approach to teacher self-evaluation; action research…

The Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) is a state-mandated, criterion-referenced or mastery test that has been administered since the 1990-91 school year. The TAAS measures student mastery of the statewide curriculum in reading and mathematics at grades 3 through 8 and at the exit level, and in writing at grades 4 and 8 and at the exit…

In 1997, Maryland formed the Task Force on Education Funding Equity, Accountability, and Partnerships to ensure that students throughout Maryland have an equal opportunity for academic success. The Task Force's preliminary report features a comprehensive review of education funding and programs in grades K-12. The report presents membership and…

Since 1990, a long-term study has been following the implementation of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) in 21 schools in 4 rural school districts. This publication summarizes study findings through 1995. Findings across KERA strands suggest that reform would have been unlikely without KERA's extra funding, used to increase teacher…

This report addresses trends and issues in assessment in relation to the role of college faculty, including advances in assessment that make it more congenial to faculty, different institutional approaches to assessment, and how assessment can be viewed as a faculty role. The report identifies major shifts in the assessment framework, changes in…

This report presents a sector-wide review of three types of cost-containment initiatives. The first, collaboration, allows for the sharing of resources, facilitates joint purchasing agreements, reduces duplication of services, and expands personal and professional contacts, but requires time to develop institutional relationships. The second,…

This resource guide, second in a series of three volumes, is a compilation of assessment instruments, tools, or checklists. These instruments were submitted by active professionals in the field of assistive technology and demonstrate the range of instrumentation in use today. Each item submitted is reviewed according to a standard format that…

This report describes the progress Ohio made during fiscal year 1992 in achieving the objectives outlined in the State Plan for the Administration of Vocational Education in Ohio and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act. The compiled information is intended for use to determine the need for changes in state plan…

This guide was developed to provide school district, area vocational-technical school, and postsecondary administrators in Pennsylvania with guidance for managing an accountability system for their vocational education programs. Although drafted primarily to assist agencies in meeting the intent of the Carl D. Perkins legislation, the model…

An effective educational reform plan creates a compelling vision, develops a new policy environment conducive to change, and lays out strategies for involving educators, parents, business people, and community members in implementation. Traditional educational policy is biased toward the status quo, favors yearly, incremental policy-making,…