Studying local and national population distribution, as well as economic and social patterns, is becoming crucial for educators who serve rapidly changing communities. School officials should take into consideration the tremendous diversity in cultures, economic and family situations, and educational levels existing within an ethnic group. Several…

In 1988, California voters passed a constitutional ballot initiative, Proposition 98, that required local districts to publish School Accountability Report Cards containing information on specific school characteristics. This study documents some key events leading to the passage of Proposition 98 and the subsequent implementation of the report…

This document reports on a three-phase research study undertaken in October 1988 for the California Association of Regional Occupational Centers and Programs (ROC/P). Phase 1 was a comprehensive review of the legal and fiscal development of ROC/Ps since their inception in 1963. Phase 2 was a cost-effects study of ROC/P courses, relating such…

A review of the problems and potential of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) elementary-secondary educational system and a brief summary of the postsecondary system are provided in this report. Methodology involved dialogues with approximately 1,500 citizens; a survey of 870 government leaders, school administrators, teachers, parents, and…

This study of 502 private, general baccalaureate institutions examined relationships between charges for tuition and traditional measures of institutional quality (such as selectivity, reputation, financial and physical resources, curricular diversity, student-faculty ratios, library holdings, and graduate school placements). The study also tested…

Enrollment levels of high schools are positively related to the number of courses offered. The most common way to expand educational opportunities in communities served by small high schools is to increase enrollment, usually by means of consolidation. Size, however, is not always the predictor of course offerings, as some relatively small schools…

An inevitable tension exists between what parents want for their own child and the educational opportunities that schools now provide for all children. This handbook shows parents and policymakers how to cooperatively improve schools for all children by explaining effective educational practices and suggesting educational policy reforms. Schools…

The 1990 Hawaii Opinion Poll on Public Education (HOPPE) identifies state trends in public opinion on educational issues and questions, and compares them to the findings of the national Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes toward the Public Schools. A random sample of 505 adult residents statewide responded to telephone interviews. The following…

Identification of teaching styles congruent with student learning styles to increase academic achievement is examined in this report. A literature review is followed by a discussion of the six elements of teaching style, which include instructional planning, teaching methods, teaching environment, teaching characteristics and classroom management,…

The relationships among parents' attitudes about school effectiveness, parent involvement, and student achievement is investigated in this study. The Parent Attitudes Toward School Effectiveness (PATSE) was administered to 4,979 parents of children in grades K4 through 5 in an urban school district, yielding a response rate of 67 percent, or a…

The schools attended by young adolescents must be transformed into "communities for learning" that provide students with a climate fostering their intellectual development. Such communities have high expectations for students, challenge them with an integrated curriculum, offer meaningful relationships with adults, and maintain an…

Issues of accountability in enterprises that provide educational services at the individual and institutional levels are explored in this paper. Two conceptions of accountability are addressed: accountability as measurement and as ethics. A major source of confusion is the disagreement between the two ways of thinking about the meaning and…

The effect of successful school practices on educational outcomes of disadvantaged students is examined in this project report. A second focus is to determine ways in which state education agencies can support local school improvement efforts in the secondary and middle schools. As part of a larger long-term effort to improve the educational…

College outcomes evaluation is discussed in two papers. In "The Political Economy of Assessment," Joseph P. O'Neill considers standards of accountability, American reliance on faculty to assess, and the danger of validating quality by external examination. By using the credit-hour system, a quantity indicator (time), is used as a…

The validity and reliability of aggregating individuals' perceptions of college organizational characteristics to more macro units of analysis were examined. The focus was the extent to which data collected in a national study met the internal consistency criterion for aggregating perceptual data to the institution level. The study assessed key…