In the mid 1990s, the National Center on Educational Outcomes worked with stakeholder groups to establish a set of criteria for use in large-scale assessments. The criteria addressed issues of the participation of students with disabilities in the assessments, assessment accommodations, and the reporting of results for students with disabilities.…

In 1996, Missouri's Coordinating Board for Higher Education adopted a new strategic plan. This annual report describes the efforts in 1997, of Missouri's higher education community to meet these goals. The report's findings, which are listed by initiative, include the following: (1) institutional mission review and enhancement efforts entered…

In response to a legislative request, this seminar convened to make a comprehensive study of ways to improve the governance effectiveness of the state's county boards of education and county school board members. Participants were county school board members, superintendents, principals, teachers, service personnel, parents, community leaders, and…

A general overview of information related to Texas schools is presented for the 1990-91 school year. The document begins with an examination of state level statistical data and concludes with detailed information about each school district. The state level statistical highlights section discusses administrative units, students, student…

Three essays put forth recommendations for improving various aspects of American education. The first essay, "Teacher Preparation," focuses on the impact of several social, global, and technological trends on American schools and teacher education. In light of these trends, it is concluded that teachers must understand the ways in which America is…

The Texas Education Agency prepares school report cards (SRCs) as part of its academic excellence indicator system (AEIS) of local school accountability. The SRCs are used for evaluating campuses, determining accreditation status, and identifying and rewarding campuses for outstanding performance. Condensing the complex data into the few…

This kit contains a guide and materials for a workshop on the requirements of a schoolwide project under Chapter 1 (Hawkins Stafford Act of 1988). Included are the Presenter's Guide, nine transparencies, and one handout. Schoolwide projects are allowed to use Chapter 1 funds to upgrade the entire educational program of a school when several…

In the past 5 years, the Mathematics Department at Saint Louis Community College (SLCC) in Meramec, Missouri, has made major curricular modifications and changed the role of faculty members in helping students succeed. These changes have been made in an effort to bring the curriculum in line with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics'…

This report provides information on the relationships among students and community characteristics, fiscal and educational resources, and student outcomes at the school-division level. Data from the 1989-90 Outcome Accountability Project include 50 indicators of division-level student outcomes. The factors related to these outcomes were examined…

This study finds that the New York City version of school-based decision making, School-Based Management/Shared Decision Making (SBM/SDM), fails to bring school-based management or shared decision making to the schools. This report begins by describing the seriously dysfunctional structure of the New York City public schools and explains the…

According to pioneers in the effective-schools movement, every school can improve educational quality for all its students, including poor and minority children, by incorporating a set of essential, research-identified characteristics present in successful schools. This publication discusses basic elements of the ongoing effective-schools movement…

This background paper provides a picture of general progress in vocational education assessment instruments and policies. Chapter 1 explains the paper's purposes and presents a summary of its contents. Chapter 2 traces the evolution of federal accountability requirements in vocational education law and explains the intent of the 1990 provisions.…

This case study explores the impact of outcome-based education (OBE) in one school district 5 years after its adoption. The study is guided by constructivist theory and a perspective that policy studies can have an important problem-finding function. The basic assumption of the OBE approach, that educational improvement depends on a shift in focus…

In 1974, the Supreme Court in "Milliken v. Bradley" blocked a major effort to desegregate isolated urban areas by establishing stringent legal standards that made it very difficult for plaintiffs to include suburbs in desegregation remedies. Three years later a second Milliken decision (Milliken II) authorized lower Federal courts to…

Higher education structures need to be redesigned to make them more responsive to the public's demand for more attention to teaching and learning and the reality of limited financial resources. The enterprise model can serve as a 21st century paradigm, with three new "tools": (1) customer influence on delivery of services; (2) accountability…