This study estimates a model of the schools reflecting what is known of the educational process. The model proposed represents the variables of achievement, students' sense of efficacy, motivation, and parents' attitudes as completely interdependent. Thus, the latter three variables are of interest because not only do they affect achievement…

Five areas of an institution's academic self-monitoring need close attention: institutional mission; resource levels; staffing flexibility, selectivity, compensation, and opportunities; academic program status; and the institution's drawing and holding power. (MSE)

The concept of "instructional leadership" springs from a desire to relate school administration to instruction, but it does little to suggest what the specific links between the two might be. It obscures the uncertainty and tension that is bound to arise from serious efforts to restructure the schools. (BJV)

The current service delivery structure of vocational education does not hold at-risk learning-disabled (LD) students in school. LD graduates who complete skill-centered vocational courses are still vocationally disadvantaged when compared to nonhandicapped peers. Vocational education is not related to LD postschool success. (BJV)

Before any school reforms can be enacted, an atmosphere of collegiality within the profession must be created that integrates both the need of school administrators to coordinate policy and of teachers of exercise individual initiative. Appended are 70 references. (MLF)

Discusses the barriers to effective parental participation in schools: (1) economic survival pressures; (2) control of participatory structures by school personnel; (3) cultural distance between school and community; (4) parental uncertainty about responsibility for failure; and (5) parental lack of clarity about improvement. Also discusses…

Affirming the basic value of the emphasis in much recent literature on the need for increased school effectiveness, the author argues that more attention should be given to the problem of "school climate" and to a resolution of the tension between state-mandated uniformity and school-level autonomy. (JBM)

In Spring 2005 the Maine Legislature passed legislation establishing an isolated small school adjustment in the Essential Programs and Services (EPS) funding formula. The adjustment for isolated small high schools (i.e. under 200 pupils) was a reduction in student-teacher ratios in the formula calculations, and in the case of isolated elementary…

Anything built to last needs a clear plan, a solid foundation, the right tools, and strong structural integrity to withstand threatening elements that arise. Unfortunately, most school reform programs do not meet these basic requirements and crumble as quickly as they appear. To offset such mishaps, this guide empowers the reader to be an…

On July 14, 2006, the U. S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released a study that compared the performance in reading and math of 4th and 8th-graders attending private and public schools. Using information from a nationwide, representative sample of public and private school students collected in 2003 as…

Cost analysis makes it possible to establish how much things costs, set budgets, determine prices, and compare the costs of different options. In distance education (DE), the main areas of cost analysis are as follows: print-based correspondence systems; educational/institutional television and radio systems; multimedia systems, and e-education…

A study examined the characteristics of successful schools along the Texas-Mexico border, where high percentages of students were Mexican American, came from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and had limited English proficiency. Three elementary schools, three middle schools, and three high schools were selected on the basis of the following…

The Standards Implementation Design (SID) system is a comprehensive framework for analyzing school performance, planning for improvement based on the analysis, implementing the improvements, and evaluating results. It is designed to engage school personnel in introspection about student achievement as related to curriculum, the teaching and…

There has been a quiet revolution growing in schooling in many parts of the developing world, particularly at the primary level. These mostly successful radical alternatives are little known among educators and scholars of education. In many cases, children who are considered the hardest to reach and teach accomplish curricular objectives not…

This report examines the indicators of institutional effectiveness for Mount Hood Community College (MHCC) (Oregon). The document reports on five institutional goals: (1) knowledge-based workforce education and services; (2) access for members of the community and development of an environment in which diversity thrives; (3) economic development,…