In educational effectiveness research, multilevel models are increasingly used because these models take the multilevel structure of the data into account. In this paper, the effect of ignoring one or more levels of variation in hierarchical linear regression is explored, using a model with four hierarchical levels (individual pupil, class group,…

During the 1990s, the charter-school movement emerged as one of the more promising new ideas in education. This paper juxtaposes the charter-school concept with ideas on change theory and curriculum design. The article's purpose is to illustrate how charter schools might be a vehicle for change in education. Research shows that states have enacted…

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), in cooperation with state leaders, has identified five policy areas that are crucial parts of a comprehensive school-accountability program. An overview of these policy areas is provided in this text. The five areas are content and student-achievement standards; testing; professional development;…

This annual plan identifies the key strategies and performance measures for the Department of Education (ED). The plan focuses on strategies for achieving the ED's mission, which is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence, and it discusses the department's four goals that support this mission: (1) help all…

This volume of the Department of Education's (ED) annual plan contains the program-performance plans to support efforts to reach the department's four goals. These four goals are as follows: (1) help all students reach challenging academic standards so that they are prepared for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment;…

The quality of a school's learning climate determines its success or failure. The learning climate includes school atmosphere and leadership. Implementing school improvement programs is a process that involves the whole school community. Among other factors, program success is most likely when administrators and faculty develop plans tailored to…

A set of belief statements outlined by Texas educators that express fundamental assumptions about individual responsibilities, school obligations, and educational system goals are described in this educational policy bulletin. The following five criteria are used to test each belief statement: relevance; importance; common meaning; context; and…

As the decade of the 1990s began, there was uncertainty concerning the educational reforms attempted in the 1980s. This paper focuses on how deregulated schools in South Carolina reacted to the opportunity to create new programs to meet the needs of the community and students. Research indicates there is an improvement in the teachers' working…

The Connecticut School Effectiveness Program, a statewide voluntary school improvement program, is described in this report. Information is presented on program activities and services, accomplishments, and areas of concern. The first section discusses the system used to determine individual schools' eligibility for state technical assistance at…

Restructuring is a reorganization that replaces central planning, control, and supervision with a deregulated, decentralized system in which the "bottom line" counts most. Seven explanations for restructuring are outlined, each reflecting a particular position or perspective : (1) a crisis in legitimization involving the dimensions of the…

Issues in the monitoring of educational quality through performance indicators are discussed in this paper. The first section discusses the management of quality in educational systems and identifies the general functions of performance indicators as quality assurance, development, and accountability. Indicator systems are discussed in the…

An invitational conference was convened to examine the use of microcomputers in public school education. Conference presentations summarized in this document offer overviews of instructional computing and discuss software development and evaluation, classroom and laboratory applications, and policy matters regarding software and hardware…

A school improvement effort that provided individually tailored reports on school effectiveness to 93 schools across the Commonwealth of Kentucky is analyzed. Dilemmas confronted by the individualized school reports explain why so little change was generated. The background for the research project from which the individual school reports were…

Recent research points to a strong correlation between effective school practices and creative administrative leadership. This book focuses on the personal skills and attributes and the organizational conditions necessary for providing this kind of leadership. Principals' primary tasks of efficient building operation, personnel management, budget…

Given that the physical, emotional, and social metamorphosis of today's early adolescents differs chronologically from that of adolescents a century ago, school districts must identify the middle level school grade configuration that will best accommodate local student developmental needs. Educators must first identify the age at which local…