During action research projects a great deal of written material is produced. Some of this is data generated about the project, some about the process of the research and some is reflective writing about the researcher(s). In this article I propose that a deliberate focus on the tracking of texts might be helpful in action research, particularly…

This article addresses the validity of teacher evaluation measures produced by the Tennessee Value Added Assessment System (TVAAS). The system analyzes student test score data and estimates the effects of individual teachers on score gains. These effects are used to construct teacher value-added measures of teaching effectiveness. We describe the…

Evaluation is increasingly taken as a public good, as an activity aimed at development and betterment. At the same time, evaluation is increasingly integrated in accountability movements and in institutionalized systems for governance. It is also embedded in a consumer-oriented New Public Management ideology. Against this background, it is high…

In 2004, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board released a report that called for the state's public universities to be held accountable for the effectiveness and quality of their doctoral programs. The author believes that this report has the potential to transform the practice of doctoral education in the Lone Star State, because the…

Accountability involves holding individuals and organizations responsible for agreed-upon promises to perform. This relationship between two or more parties includes formal structures that track results to determine if the parties who have entered into an agreement live up to that agreement. From the mid-1980s, states and districts in the U.S.…

The Principals Excellence Program (PEP), a cohort-based professional development project for administrator-certified practitioners, is one of 24 projects across the United States supported by federal funds from the No Child Left Behind legislation. The three-year program is conducted through a partnership between Pike County School District, a…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2001) is a landmark reform reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, 1965). In its second year of implementation, NCLB is the most ambitious federal effort to raise student achievement in 38 years (Mathews, 2003). Its intent is to close achievement gaps among students who belong to minority…

Although other New England cities also reap the benefits of college and university presences, Cambridge is the quintessential "college town." It was with an uncomfortable appreciation for this value-added aspect of universities that the author, as a newly elected city councilor in 1993, found herself in the offices of a VP for government…

The alarming number of children killed and seriously injured as a result of child maltreatment and neglect has led to increased calls for action. In response, interdisciplinary and multiagency child death review teams have emerged as an important component of child protection. Paradoxically, child death review teams are among the least visible and…

What is the responsibility of an educator--where does it begin and end? We report on a study of teachers at four admired public high schools in urban areas in the US. The teachers describe their deep commitment to meeting students' academic needs, as well as their developmental, social and emotional needs. The ways these teachers construe…

Although the overall mission of second language (L2) teacher education has remained relatively constant, that is, to prepare L2 teachers to do the work of this profession, the field's understanding of that work--of who teaches English, who learns English and why, of the sociopolitical and socioeconomic contexts in which English is taught, and of…

This article revisits the important issue raised by Peter Tymms where he challenges the official government reports of an impressive rise in standards in mathematics and English in primary schools in England since 1995, suggesting that the rise in scores, particularly since 2000, does not indicate rising standards. In order to substantiate its…

The accountability required by school-reform measures such as No Child Left Behind has placed increased emphasis on data analysis for appraising schools, administrators, teachers, and students. The focus of accountability-driven initiatives is developing policies and procedures that collectively influence the district, the school, and most…

Critics of the No Child Left Behind Act begun to circulate proposals for fixing what they view as major flaws in its accountability provisions. Although the law is not slated for reauthorization until 2007, they are hoping for amendments, in part to address the large number of schools and districts that may not meet its performance targets. This…

This article discusses how state and education officials examined efforts underway to devise systems of support for low-performing schools and districts. Most state education agencies and local school districts are counting on academic coaches and teams of experienced educators to turn around underperforming schools. While those approaches have…