Based on an extensive review of the literature, implications for school leadership are examined in the context of four government approaches to accountability-driven educational policy: market, decentralization, professionalization, and management. The article concludes with a discussion of four suggested areas for future leadership research. (PKP)

Authors discuss seven findings from a number of studies of local, state, and federal performance-based accountability systems conducted by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education at Harvard University. (PKP)

This article discusses the increased pressure that states are under to include test scores of students with disabilities obtained under nonapproved accommodation conditions in their accountability systems. It recommends Individualized Education Program teams carefully consider the use of nonapproved accommodations and consider the purpose and use…

Examined the dynamics of organizational change in higher education institutions and whether chartering a higher education organization would lead to increased faculty responsiveness and involvement in reform efforts. Data from interviews with school faculty, administrators, and other involved parties indicated that faculty work changed, work…

Although high academic standards are widely accepted in concept, there is little consensus on the practical matter of testing. Examples from Northwestern states illustrate critical questions related to narrowing of curriculum and overemphasis on test preparation, the validity of standardized tests, effects on minority students and those with…

Current educational reform efforts in Arizona involve three major federal and state language and assessment policies: (a) AZ LEARNS (2001), Arizona's high-stakes testing and school accountability program; (b) No Child Left Behind (2002); and (c) Proposition 203 (2000), which places restrictions on programs for English language learner (ELL)…

Over the past four decades higher education institutions have faced increasing complexity related to governance (Berdahl, 1991; Birnbaum, 1988; Kezar, 2000; Leslie & Fretwell, 1996). In particular, institutions now face even greater competing priorities and demands to engage the community, business, and industry; to solve social problems and…

Plenty of state policies have been noteworthy in 2004, but one that had major impact went into effect in Illinois, where the governance of education was significantly restructured. S.B. 3000 (the Education Reform and Accountability Act of 2004) gives the governor greater influence over education through his or her control of the state board of…

State and local officials are slowly untangling complicated webs of accountability, testing, and graduation policies, hoping to give thousands of students displaced by Hurricane Katrina a better handle on their academic standing. While officials in Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama offered some guidance to such students, school leaders in…

Contemporary assessment practices in science education have undergone significant changes in recent decades. The basis for these changes and the resulting new assessment practices are the subject of this two-part paper. Part 1 considers the basis of assessment that, more than 25 years ago, was driven by the assumptions of decomposability and…

The current preoccupation in the United States with test-based accountability is founded on a set of faulty assumptions--about education practices elsewhere in the world, about international test score comparisons, and about the extent to which test scores are valid indicators of the quality of education or the state of the economy. For example,…

This article considers the relative impacts of student accountability policies and extended learning programs on the achievement gains of elementary and middle grade students. It shares qualitative and quantitative analyses of an extended learning time initiative implemented in conjunction with a high-stakes testing and retention policy. The…

Communicating why and how school leaders are effective in their work will go a long way toward increasing awareness of the profession and highlighting academic successes in our schools. Research shows school leadership and school performance are closely linked. According to a report by the Wallace Foundation, leadership is second only to teaching…

The Center for School Counseling Outcome Research (CSCOR) was founded in January 2003 to provide leadership in promoting quality school counseling research and to give practicing school counselors ready access to relevant research in order for them to make effective program decisions. CSCOR currently is the foremost national research facility…

This paper reports the results of the "National Survey of Accommodations and Alternate Assessments for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in the United States (National Survey)". This study focused on the use of accommodations and alternate assessments in statewide assessments used with students who are deaf or hard of hearing. A…