Recommendations of commission reports on improving quality in public education are seen as primarily political statements reflecting the public outrage over the declining quality of American schooling. If the recommendations for sharpening basic skills spill over into higher education, there will be pressure to make colleges into trade schools.…

Suggests a legally grounded process for determining adequate performance standards while posing the fewest legal and logistical problems for schools. Addresses issues of accountability, promotion and retention, teachers' concerns, student/parent concerns, and relevant legal issues in developing and implementing appropriate standards. Various types…

Integration in nursing curriculum, its effect on performance of students and faculty, and its application to clinical experience, team teaching, and curriculum structure are examined. (TA)

Learner Verification and Revision (LVR) or Learner-Based Revision (L-BR), a process of improving the effectiveness of instructional materials by gathering feedback from learners during the materials developmental or formative period, is reviewed with positive conclusions as to its effectiveness. Educator and educational publisher policies and…

"Making the Grade: How Boards Can Ensure Academic Quality" fills a significant void in today's boardroom discussions with its clear, realistic advice and its "perfect pitch" balancing act with respect to board involvement with the heart of the academic enterprise: teaching and learning. NCHEMS vice president Peter Ewell clarifies the grey areas of…

Up to six years of data (the current year and the five previous years where available) are presented in Louisiana's District Composite Reports. Each year, this report is updated by adding the most current year?s data and deleting the data that are more than six years old. Incorporating longitudinal data in the District Composite Report enables…

The importance of state academic standards soared in January 2002 with passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Not only does that milestone law require all states to have demanding academic standards in place and to demonstrate steady student progress toward academic proficiency as set forth in those standards, it also links states'…

In 1998, The Cleveland Foundation developed a strategy to support select Cleveland area charter schools as part of its commitment to local school reform. The Cleveland Foundation provided start-up funding to four charter schools it deemed both promising and viable. In 2000, The Cleveland Foundation contracted with The Evaluation Center to provide…

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandates that schools receiving federal Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Community (SDFSC) funds conduct an anonymous teacher survey of the incidence of, prevalence of, and attitudes related to drug use and violence. To meet this NCLB mandate, the California Department of Education (CDE) funded the development of the…

This paper is the eighth in the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) biennial series summarizing federal and state public-policy issues affecting higher education. This document's list of top public-policy issues comprises a daunting inventory for boards and chief executives to consider. Security demands of the…

This report analyzes the results of a bold set of initiatives designed to stimulate and support public responsibility for public education in 14 locales around the country. Local education funds (LEFs) led these initiatives, which received support from the Annenberg Foundation through the LEFs' national organization, the Public Education Network…

The Report of the National Reading Panel (2000) explains that phonemic awareness instruction and phonics instruction are highly beneficial for students learning to read. In the updated second edition, Edmund V. Starrett provides educators with guidance on teaching phonics as part of a well-planned reading program. This reference book presents the…

The Committee convened a hearing to examine access and accountability relating to providing quality postsecondary education, focusing on the federal government's role in making postsecondary education financially available for Americans. Statements were presented by: Michael B. Enzi, Chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions;…

Legislation passed during the 2001 Iowa legislative session established the Student Achievement and Teacher Quality Program, Iowa Code Section 284.12(1). This legislation requires the Iowa Department of Education (DE) to annually report the statewide progress on the following: (1) Student achievement scores in mathematics and reading at the fourth…

American public education faces increasing pressure to demonstrate the competence of all of its students as they progress through the grades and, especially, as students exit their high schools. In response, policymakers are developing sophisticated accountability and support systems in efforts to steer schools toward improved performance. These…