The educational effectiveness of community colleges is under new scrutiny as a result of both a federal government focus on accountability of higher education institutions and greater competition for the state funds traditionally directed to the colleges. Policymakers, who want to tie public college allocations to their outcomes, and families,…

This study was undertaken to identify the common characteristics of high-performing schools in Tennessee, to determine if these features were consistent with what other studies of high-performing schools have reported, and to consider whether any of the identified components had any potential for being employed to improve student achievement in…

Comprehensive school reform involves changes in every aspect of school operations, from classroom instruction to school governance. Some schools develop their own reform approach from within. Others seek assistance from without, particularly from organizations that have developed coherent, research-based approaches, or school-reform models. For…

Several previous studies have relied on religious affiliation and proximity to Catholic schools as exogenous sources of variation for identifying the effect of Catholic schooling on a wide variety of outcomes. Using three separate approaches, this study examined the validity of these instrumental variables. Evidence was obtained on the validity of…

This report reviews literature and presents evidence and findings from empirical studies and syntheses that encompass a wide range of contexts and topics relating to school effectiveness. The body of the report is arranged in seven sections. The introduction discusses the need for effective schools, and the concepts of effectiveness, efficiency,…

The perception exists that the massive infusion of resources into public education has done nothing to bolster student achievement scores and that American students' scores on international assessments rank far below the scores of students from other countries. These perceptions are examined in this booklet. The focus is on education productivity…

Seven schools each in five Florida school districts were examined after they had received a rating of F by the state's accountability plan. The ratings are based on Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test levels for reading, math, and writing as well as attendance-related data. Using criteria developed by the U.S. Department of Education's…

Oakland Unified School District may embody the failures of public education, which makes it worth examining for causes of failure and for potential reforms. This district has the second highest parental dissatisfaction in the nation, with two-thirds of graduates not able to meet minimum eligibility requirements of the state's colleges. It is also…

This case study on the experience of the University of Peking, China, in inter-university cooperation describes the process of identifying appropriate partner institutions and implementing collaborative programs with them. It also highlights a number of lessons for those managing inter-university cooperation and shows how such initiatives can be…

This paper provides an overview of Ontario's colleges of applied arts and technology as leaders in applied learning, accessibility, training, quality and innovation, affordability and accountability. Highlights of the diversity of college activities and innovations are included but do not reflect a comprehensive picture of colleges' initiatives.…

During the 1997-98 school year, the Sentry Hill School District made the decision to "redesign" Clayton Elementary School after persistently low student achievement placed the district in the lowest category of the district's accountability system. This case study outlines the changes made at the school. Redesigning the school meant removing all…

Discipline is a necessary ingredient for any successful school. Every teacher and school has a particular style and technique of discipline. This paper examines effective discipline strategies that help maintain school discipline. Classroom management, in school and out of school suspensions, alternative schooling, corporal punishment, and…

Both built and natural environments embellish student learning; however, it is believed that there are far too many functional and structural design problems in schools. This document provides basic design factors from three perspectives: environmental; educational; and architectural. Selected developmentally appropriate characteristics of…

Chile has introduced a system of merit awards to schools called the National System to Evaluate School Performance (SNED). This paper provides information on the characteristics of the SNED approach to providing incentives to improve the quality of education. Key features of the SNED system are as follows: Awards go to school establishments, not…

This paper explores the policy background, the arguments for collaboration between agencies, the barriers which may get in the way of schools and social services working together to safeguard children, and suggestions for how these can be removed. As well as drawing on policy documents and literature around child protection, education and…