A primary grade school with a large low-income Hispanic population reviewed and revised several instructional programs, particularly for language arts and mathematics, to increase student achievement and motivation. (CB)

Many school boards view standardized test scores as indicative of school effectiveness. This primer outlines basic facts about standardized tests and tells how school systems can use test results productively. (MLF)

To become more effective leaders, principals must become informed of national quality initiatives and integrate them into their schools. Holding great responsibility for student achievement, principals are given lists of actions to take and others to avoid. Increased standards of licensure are addressed, as well as implementations of a systems…

Considers the use of outcome-based education (OBE) as an accountability system. The interpretation and use of OBE for accountability and issues arising from its use are reviewed. The use of OBE will exacerbate rather than solve current problems in education, but its potential should be explored. (SLD)

From the perspective of a small (less than 50 full-time equivalent children) university-based childcare center, notes benefits afforded to large centers and advantages of being small, e.g., less institutional atmosphere, unified commitment to goals and philosophy, training beyond the basics, flexibility and spontaneity, more individualized…

Argues that the deputy headteacher is well-placed to exercise curriculum leadership within the collegially run (British) primary school. Identifies key factors in developing the deputy headteacher's role and investigates them empirically. Deputy headteachers, while being prepared for curriculum leadership in some areas, require much more specific,…

The conflict-resolution steps outlined in Arnold Burron's "Heed Community Values" article suggests an oversimplified picture of educational change. Consensus in diverse communities is elusive. Parents' rights are problematic. Conflict will continue as long as communities expect schools to resolve society's problems. Sharing…

Recounts a principal's experiences at a British Columbia elementary school with control over its own budget. Decentralized administration did not prevent mistakes. At first, administrators and teachers made more errors in judgment than an experienced school business officer would have made. This district's success may be attributed to the…

Defines institutional effectiveness concepts, including accountability, alignment, assessment, baseline, benchmark, change, compatibility, competency, cost control, cost efficiency, excellence, family measure, goal, indicator, institutional effectiveness, journal, key indicator, longitudinal data, measure, mission, norm, objective, outcome,…

As one of the nation's first school effectiveness programs, Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Schools' Project RISE received national attention during the 1980s for efforts to improve elementary students' achievement test scores. The program failed because of inadequate funding, lack of specificity, and failure to translate the RISE philosophy and the five…

Identified characteristics perceived by students, educators, school board members, and the community to be the most important indicators of school quality in small school districts in Kansas. Determined the degree to which characteristics are present in selected small and rural schools. Respondents perceived their schools positively on the…

Many states are answering the call for public reports on educational progress by developing indicator systems that are designed to show trends within and relationships among school data. A table shows 13 states and the number of indicator components used. Offers advice to school boards considering indicator systems. (MLF)

Reports on the PASCI (Parental Choice Interaction) Study that is investigating the interaction between school decision making and parental school choice in the United Kingdom. Discusses how schools in a pilot case study area are responding to parental choice and competition among schools. The market and participative education models may be…

Suggests that serious ethical questions regarding the preparation of prospective school administrators have arisen out of the American reform movement. Discusses university-sponsored educational administration programs in the context of the social contract between the university and its various shareholders. Argues that such programs have a major…

Presents Aurora (Colorado) Public Schools' generic plan for effecting school improvement, which consists of four tools: (1) outcomes-oriented strategic planning; (2) performance-based education to help students achieve learner and content outcomes; (3) performance-based graduation requirements; and (4) shared decision making among the district's…