This special hearing, held in Portland, Oregon, addressed the concept of allowing states and local governments more flexibility in their use of federal funds designated for educational programs in exchange for increased state and local accountability. It focused on programs and policies in place or under consideration in the states of Oregon and…

In response to state legislation and a statewide strategic plan that included a recommendation for quality standards and accountability defined as measurable goals and conditions, model standards for California English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) adult education programs were established. This document describes general standards, defines language…

In 1985 the Arizona Legislature established a 5-year pilot-test program for teachers, under the direction of the Joint Legislative Committee on Career Ladders. Its purpose was to implement and evaluate a process of rewarding teachers based on their actual performance levels, rather than solely on years of experience and/or accumulated college…

In this update, 49 more goal-based programs are added to the 50 programs described in the directory's initial 1981 edition. The programs are goal-based in that they make use of such concepts as minimum competency testing, mastery learning, and continuous progress curricula, among others. As in the initial edition, each program receives a one-page…

The Education Action Zone programme in Gauteng province, South Africa, has been widely seen as a very successful school improvement initiative, with particular significance as it represents a unique model of top-down, bureaucratic accountability as a vehicle for turning- around dysfunctional secondary schools. In this article I evaluate the impact…

The past decade has witnessed a proliferation of state standards and their associated tests in public schools in order to hold schools, teachers, and students accountable for learning outcomes and achievement. In this qualitative study of eight world history and world geography teachers, the degree to which the Virginia Standards of Learning…

Following an introduction that states the Adult Literacy Initiative's objectives for fiscal year 1985, this final report presents the bulk of its information in sections on (1) the literacy services of the City University of New York, community-based organizations, and the New York City Board of Education; and (2) the literacy services of the New…

In March 1990, the Center for the Study of Community Colleges in Los Angeles hosted a Transfer Assembly as part of an on-going effort to stabilize the imprecise definitions and data relating to student transfers from community colleges to four-year institutions. This report provides excerpts from six of the presentations given to the assembly.…

This booklet, issued by the South Carolina State Department of Education, provides a step-by-step plan of action to assist new counselors in organizing an elementary guidance program. After a statement of basic guidance goals and a list of counselor program objectives, the booklet consists of the following sections: (1) a brief summary of the…

This report describes the results of a survey of superintendents about current evaluation practices. From a nationwide random sample of 2,576 school district superintendents, usable replies were received from 1,245 superintendents. The survey instrument included questions about the frequency of superintendent and school board evaluations, the…

Growing institutional concern for excellence coupled with legislative mandates calling for accountability have prompted many colleges to emphasize student outcomes when evaluating and designing courses and programs. A careful review of the accountability literature, however, suggests that continuing education courses and students, in spite of…

Despite the fact that students over age 25 will soon comprise the majority in higher education, programming and resource allocation at many universities remain inadequate to meet adult needs. Institutions have also failed to invest in adult education research. At the same time, pressures for objective assessment of student learning in higher…

Advice and tested methods for management of meetings from superintendents and board members are combined in this reference book on conducting effective school board meetings. Intended for a wide readership, it contains three chapters and an exhibit section comprising over one-third of the document. Following a brief introduction, chapter 1,…

One of a series in reading, writing, and mathematics intended to acquaint teachers with the skills tested in each content area on the New Jersey High School Proficiency Test, this booklet on writing presents material that can be used in lesson planning, skills review, and practice testing. Following a report of the writing committee convened to…

Prior research has documented the failure of both staff development and teacher evaluation practices in schools to serve as sources of accountability and improvement for teachers. Few districts coordinate these two aspects of a human resource management system. Using a concept of organizational control, this study employs a qualitative methodology…