Explores ways to establish good communications with the public that will lead to credibility, support, and bond-referendum success. Lists 10 reasons why bond referendums fail. (LMI)

This article focuses on strategies that can be used to evolve an evidence-based practice. It describes methods for gathering research information, for reviewing studies critically, and for summarizing information for practice using a model supporting evidence-based practice. An example of the application of these strategies to early intervention…

American educators are participating in a harmful, unwinnable contest--the score-boosting game. Standardized tests yield an inaccurate picture of school staff's instructional practices. Administrators should provide assessment-literacy training, brief educational policymakers, encourage autonomous parent groups, analyze test items, and create…

"All children can learn" has become a simplistic mantra leading to practices that can be harmful to students and unfair to schools. Unintended consequences include establishing accountability based on state-developed tests, downplaying poor children's need for early intervention, and using punishment to motivate school improvement. (MLH)

Addresses the problems of using student test scores to evaluate teachers, citing North Carolina as an example. Considers the problems with accountability laws, misidentifying problems when using student test scores, and teaching to the test. Discusses appropriate accountability mechanisms, the importance of social context, and organizing for…

The cultures of accountability and validity are at odds in high-stakes testing. When the polis demands that tests serve high-stakes accountability functioning, professional testing standards are often compromised. Using flawed indicators can produce unreliable, unrepresentative inferences and decisions. High-stakes testing produces teaching and…

Argues against employing systems of surveillance in school accountability. Presents Michel Foucault's theories of ethics as a means of moving beyond the constraining, uninspiring notions of managerial competency now in effect. (Contains 37 references.) (AUTH/NB)

Reports research findings on efforts to reform large urban high schools by creating smaller learning communities: Size matters, but quality matters more; small schools should be created, not imposed; small school need to be accountable. Argues that given these elements, smaller learning communities will significantly improve achievement for all…

Examines the inter-related issues of college curricular coherence, student mobility, and transferability of college credits among institutions. Urges agreement on intended outcomes of general education programs and suggests linking such outcomes to transfer agreements. Reports on two states Utah and Georgia which are developing new system-wide…

Critiques "Handbook" chapters on achieving educational accountability and managing resources for school improvement. Accountability and finance research have shifted focus from resource allocation to organizational results. Principal-agent, expectancy, and risk theories provide lenses for viewing accountability. Research on how these…

Making report cards more understandable and valuable to users is a top priority for educators revising them. Administrators should tie report cards to new standards and exams; be open-minded; involve parents, teachers, and schools; check with technology people; and strive for clarity. A Maryland district's experience is profiled. (MLH)

School desegregation court cases provided the impetus to early experimental efforts at government takeover of public schools. Most recently, states have taken over school districts for failure to demonstrate adequate academic progress (educational bankruptcy). North Carolina's ABC program is profiled. Legal, financial, and organizational…

Addresses the challenges faced in developing a task-based language assessment instrument for adult immigrants in Canada that is accountable to the needs of diverse groups of stakeholders, including learners, teachers, and administrators. The test, the Canadian Language Benchmarks Assessment (CLBA), is designed to place adult newcomers in language…

U.S. high-school students' enrollment in arts classes is at an 18-year peak. In 1998, 52.7 percent of high-school graduates earned credits in visual arts classes, compared with 44 percent in 1982. For various reasons, technology course enrollments have not kept pace with society's technological transformation. (MLH)

When they are well-devised and implemented, academic standards, tests, and associated accountability provisions can change the nature of teaching and learning. They can lead to a richer, more challenging curriculum, foster teacher collaboration, create a more productive teacher/parent dialogue, and focus attention on student achievement. (MLH)