Integrated portfolios can establish accountability for novice teachers and support professional development for novice and experienced teachers. Comprehensive portfolios for evaluating novices and critical incident portfolios for evaluating experienced teachers are described, and procedures for their review are discussed. Illustrations of their…

In 1988, Indiana adopted a system of performance-based accreditation for its public schools. This article summarizes a study to describe the program's planning and implementation processes, evaluate program effects, and determine whether relationships exist among successful school improvement and planning and three elements identified in the…

Discusses four elements of cooperative learning in science classrooms: cooperative task structures; cooperative incentive structures; individual accountability; and heterogeneous grouping. Presents and describes seven cooperative learning methods. (MDH)

Discusses methods of assessing job preparatory-training outcomes, particularly a product called Data Linking for Outcomes Assessment (DLOA). Contends that through data linking, conclusions about programs, job placement, and salaries for graduates can be drawn with ease. Describes key design features for creating a DLOA. (EMH)

Under the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments, all states must now include students with disabilities in statewide and districtwide educational assessments. So far, Kentucky is the only state with a comprehensive alternative portfolio-assessment program for students unable to participate in "regular" testing…

If higher education creates universities that only adapt to circumstances, they will not shape the future. A universal university must have universal access; universal delivery; a vocation to educate, not just train; a watchtower function; a universal ethical role; solidarity with sister institutions and society; autonomy with accountability;…

Five reviewers of "School Choice and Competition: Markets in the Public Interest?" (Routledge, 1998), by Philip Woods, Carl Bagley, and Ron Glatter, critique this comprehensive study of three educational quasi-markets in Great Britain. Areas such as social stratification, overall student achievement, diversity, and innovation appear to…

Discusses the fiscal condition of Florida, highlighting its school-funding system and comparisons with other states. Analyzes five issues identified in interviews with state policy analysts: adequate funding for growing demand, applied educational-equity/adequacy considerations, tax-base adequacy, alternative revenue sources, and accountability…

Discusses looping, or multiyear assignment of children, as a strategy to ease the retention/social-promotion dilemma. Multiyear assignment gives teachers extra time to bring low-performing students up to grade level and develop stable, caring relationships with students. A suburban Kansas school's successful program is profiled. (24 references)…

Pioneer district/charter-school contracts try to balance the quest for autonomy with accountability requirements. Districts' experiences in three states (Colorado, Oregon, and Wisconsin) and their chosen navigation tools offer clues to developing productive processes and relationships for negotiating successful contracts. A sidebar defines the…

The five papers in this special section explore basic middle-management issues at the secondary level in various countries, including subject leader/department heads' range of responsibilities and effects of school cultures. New training standards demand a blending of line management, accountability, leadership, followership, and collegial…

In this information age, needs of librarians, archivists, records managers, and other information professionals must be examined so that information retains its reliability and accountability. Technology changes that are shaking the foundations of previous "tried and tested" methods in information management are discussed. Future implications and…

By 1997, the New York State Board of Regents had required that all students take rigorous Regents exams to graduate from public high schools. A research symposium was called to examine financial system changes necessary for implementing standards and high-stakes tests. Other states' approaches are summarized. (MLH)

This article discusses how Georgia Southern University redesigned its special education teacher curriculum to reflect the core competencies identified by the Council for Exceptional Children, the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, and the National Collegiate Accreditation for Teacher Education. Portfolio assessment procedures were…

This article describes how to maximize clinician participation in outcome management systems: articulate the value of the outcomes management system, involve clinical staff in its design, make it relevant to treatment goals, assure clinicians it will not be used punitively, show how it will improve treatment, and obtain staff feedback. (Contains…