In this paper, a companion piece to "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools" (ED544382), the authors analyze small high school spending in three urban districts--Baltimore City, Boston, and Chicago--to understand whether it is higher than in larger schools; if it is, why it is different; and the policy…

Scratch the surface of a successful school and you will find a web of interactions that is the root of its success. Who is it that envisions, inspires, cajoles, and rallies all the various players in and around a school toward any improvement goal? Often it's a superintendent, a principal, a professor, a special teacher, or a parent. In a word,…

As traditionally structured, American schools, in general, have found it more difficult to educate some students than others. In Washington State, as in most other states, the single best predictor of student achievement at the school level is the percentage of students on free or reduced (f/r) lunch status (Abbott & Joireman, 2001). This fact…

How institutional research can improve the quality of institutional performance of colleges and universities in the face of funding constraints is discussed. An example of the use of instructional research to assist in documenting institutional quality in Australia is noted. Institutional research uses data collection, analysis, and interpretation…

In 1994 the Carnegie Corporation of New York convened the Carnegie Task Force on Learning in the Primary Grades to examine all the forces that contribute to children's learning and development during the age span from 3 to 10. The 33-member group of business and political leaders, scientists, educators, researchers, and practitioners conducted…

This pamphlet presents the Executive Summary of the Report of the Carnegie Task Force on Learning in the Primary Grades. Results depict a pervasive pattern of underachievement for millions of U.S. children. The document outlines nine principles of effective practice for all institutions key to children's learning, and calls on these institutions…

While a number of different approaches have been suggested for the improvement of K-12 education in the United States, one common element of many plans is the more extensive and more effective utilization of computer, networking, and other technologies in support of a broad program of systemic and curricular reform. The Panel on Educational…

Effective school library media centers are a cost-efficient way for schools to provide children with the sophisticated knowledge, research, and computer skills they will need for the growing demands of work and citizenship in the 21st century. The libraries' cultivation of literacy, research, and thinking skills is particularly crucial in…

This report presents a formative evaluation of the Van Horn Engineering and Technology Magnet High School in the Kansas City School District, Missouri. It presents data collected throughout the program's first year, including student demographics, program implementation information, achievement data, and perceptions of the program held by staff…

This book traces the High Schools That Work program from its inception and reports on practices that are helping schools effectively integrate academic and vocational education. Examples are included to illustrate what can be accomplished. Chapter 1 describes the program's goals, key practices, key conditions, and success. Chapter 2 shows how…

In order to evaluate the validity of outcomes assessment at two-year colleges, the American College Testing (ACT) Program developed "Project Cooperation." Institutions participating in the project administered tests and surveys to measure changes in students' cognitive abilities over time and record student feedback, and reported the…

In 1991, the Maryland State Board for Community Colleges developed the "success rate," a reporting index which combined graduation, transfer, and persistence rates. Success rate matrices were produced by tracking first-time, full-time students representing seven cohorts (1980 to 1986) over a 4-year period, and matching entering…

In discussing educational equity and Project Performance and Assessment Collaboratives for Education (PACE), the authors present an argument, a detailed illustration, and a set of imperatives for education in the United States. The argument examines the last century and a half of American educational practice to illustrate why we cannot simply…

This report describes how the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) Framework for Educational Accountability, which specifies outcomes and indicators for six developmental levels (ages three and six, grades four, eight, and twelve, and post-school), can be used to implement parts of the National Association of State Directors of Special…

With the move to self-governance and the dismantling of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), there is a need to know if Aboriginal education systems are providing superior, adequate, marginal, or unsatisfactory standards of education for their students. A study of 165 First Nations students attending a K-10 First Nations school sought to…