Global comparisons of teacher education programs should start with an understanding of the school systems that teachers are being prepared for in their local contexts. The purpose of this article is to describe Singapore's dual education system as well as teacher preparation in a country that educates many students with disabilities in a separate…

Developing literacy competencies has become a central component of educational policy in British Columbia (BC), with policies calling for province-wide assessment and school accountability. Based on the critical policy analysis (Blaikie & Soussan, 2000) of provincial and school district documents, complemented by semi-structured interviews of…

This paper presents interview data from research conducted in two public high schools in the state of Queensland, Australia. The research was concerned with exploring issues of equity and diversity. Both schools had recently converted to "independent" status within a new state policy reform--the Independent Public Schools initiative.…

Historically, school leaders have occupied a somewhat ambiguous position within networks of power. On the one hand, they appear to be celebrated as what Ball (2003) has termed the "new hero of educational reform"; on the other, they are often "held to account" through those same performative processes and technologies. These…

In partnership with the National Charter School Resource Center (NCSRC), the National Association for Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) has been conducting authorizer assessments over the past six years. However, the correlation between high-quality authorization practices and charter school impact has largely been unexplored. This report uses a…

According to the new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) law, most school districts in the state are responsible for using LCFF funds to improve outcomes for English language learners, also known as dual language learners. Each district has created a Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), the funding plan for LCFF. The LCAP is reviewed and…

The expectations of education have never been higher: around the world, governments are re-shaping their education systems, transforming early years, schools and universities through far-reaching reform in curriculum, assessment, teaching, accountability and funding. As Director of the Institute of Education for five years of tumultuous change in…

This qualitative study explored teacher perceptions to understand how teachers in Tennessee see the impact of accountability on their instructional strategies, classroom management, and student engagement. Each of the three categories is defined by The Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale, which was administered to the purposeful group of nine teachers…

Assessment is a critical component of teaching and learning but many educators, parents, and students have expressed concerns about the amount of assessment occurring in schools across the country. Standardized assessments have received a great deal of publicity as the culprit of over-testing. However, standardized assessments are only part of a…

This publication is an overview of Higher Education in California to provide readers with a deeper understanding about how the public systems work. The primer outlines the mission, enrollment, cost of attendance, and governance and funding structure of each of California's public higher education systems. This resource also provides critical facts…

This Case Study Compendium provides an overview of the 12 cases that were investigated as part of the study "Executive Headteachers: What's in a Name?'" (Lord et al., 2016). The case study overviews are based on in-depth analysis and research as described in the full report (ibid) and the Technical Appendix (Harland and Bernardinelli,…

The nation's six million students with disabilities have graduation rates nearly 25 percent lower than their general education peers and significantly lower postsecondary enrollment and completion rates. For the last decade and a half, state policy leaders have decried No Child Left Behind's lack of flexibility and one-size-fits-all design for…

This 2016 document is designed to provide state Part C staff with guidance on using fiscal data to analyze and revise their allocation methodology. Allocation methodology is the process -- including practices, strategies, procedures, and policies -- used by Part C state staff to equitably distribute funds to meet the needs of the system, including…

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that impact teachers' decisions to remain teaching in an urban school district. The researcher analyzed survey data provided by the Office of Planning and Accountability for an urban school district in Tennessee. The findings of the study are also discussed as well as any implication for…

On July 1, 2013, Gov. Jerry Brown signed California's landmark Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) into law. In addition to providing districts with greater control over how to spend funds, LCFF marked a tremendous opportunity for educational equity. The new funding law gave districts additional resources, called supplemental and concentration…