The Governor's recommendations to the 1984 Kansas Legislature are summarized in this pamphlet. Elementary-secondary level recommendations include additional state aid to school districts, some to be used exclusively for teacher salaries; "full" teacher certification to be achieved only after successful completion of a year of internship…

Recent research has suggested that the principal's role in the effectiveness of schools is far more important than had been believed earlier. What the principal's role typically is, what it ideally should be, and how it can be changed are the topics of this report. The first two chapters survey (1) the research on characteristics of principals of…

This document reports the highlights from a study of effective and ineffective principal behaviors associated with effective schools and briefly summarizes the methodology of the study. The term effectiveness is defined as high academic achievement, low rates of vandalism and absenteeism, a sense of community, and a stable staff. The researchers…

Effective curriculum development should be based on our beliefs about how human beings can best learn and develop in a rapidly changing social and physical environment. The practices at two San Diego schools, Valhalla High School and Baker Elementary School, that provide humanistic environments include having every high school pupil known well by…

Reviews the implications of James Coleman's report, "Public and Private High Schools" for education reform and Catholic schools, focusing on issues related to free choice between public and private schools, school organization, parent involvement, and values. (DMM)

The question of whether single-sex schooling is preferable to coeducation for some or all students continues to be hotly debated. Much of the debate is philosophical and would be waged even if single-sex schooling were shown to be highly advantageous for one or more subpopulations. However, the actual research evidence, although suggestive that…

This report provides a consolidated public record of the performance of Edison-run schools. Edison agrees to provide annually to each local partner comprehensive information about the operation and outcomes of its local partnership schools. Edison is also required by charter-school laws to report on its partnership schools. This report includes…

This presentation addresses three topics: (1) the assessment of professional learning communities in schools; (2) the design and development of professional learning communities in schools; and (3) the effects of professional learning communities in schools. The purpose of this brief document is to share descriptions, processes, and materials…

The research methodology of this study included both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Samples consisted of school counselors from 66 Victorian, 33 ACT, and 71 NSW schools in Australia. Findings show that building genuine partnerships between school and external communities requires lots of effort, commitment, and time. Effectiveness of a…

This collection of papers focuses on the economic aspects of education as follows: (1) "Introduction" (David H. Monk, Margaret Wang, and Herbert J. Walberg); (2) "Tax Revolts and School Performance" (Thomas Downes and David Figlio); (3) "State Aid and Education Outcomes" (Sheila E. Murray); (4) "The Interface…

Based on the National Adult Literacy Survey of 1992, which described the literacy skills of adults in the United States (based on data drawn from a random sample of 13,600 adults across the United States, and from telephone interviews with additional adults and from other sources, with a total of 26,000 adult participants), this report contains…

This report provides data on withdrawal and success rates and grades earned in fall 1995 at the five campuses of Pima Community College (PCC) in Arizona. Following a literature review on national course grades, descriptions are provided of the following: (1) grades and withdrawals for 1980, 1985, 1990, and 1995, indicating that the number of A…

This report provides data on withdrawal and success rates and grades earned in fall 1996 at the five campuses of Pima Community College (PCC) in Arizona. Following a literature review on national course grades, descriptions are provided of the following: (1) grades and withdrawals for 1981, 1986, 1991, and 1996, indicating that the number of A…

In 1989, the Kentucky Supreme Court declared that the state's public school system was unconstitutional and ordered the Kentucky legislature to create a new system of public education. The Kentucky General Assembly then enacted the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA). This book sets forth the policy assumptions underlying KERA and…

This report from the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) examines the status of publicly funded voucher programs, issues affecting the voucher movement, and program research. No legislature in the five member states served by SEDL has adopted vouchers, but several private programs are in place. Proponents claim vouchers offer an…