This report describes a study in progress of principals' perceptions of leadership styles and characteristic in creating success in three high-poverty Detroit public schools. The data sources of the study were based on three effective, seasoned principals. All the principals are African American women and had at least 10 years of tenure at their…

This study focuses on elementary schools, where it is critical that students develop foundational knowledge and skills in preparation for later advanced coursework. For the study, McREL selected a sample of high-needs elementary (PreK/K?6) schools, defined as moderate- to high-poverty, with 50 percent or more of students eligible for free or…

This report presents statistical data on academic failure in New York City's Schools Under Registration Review (SURR) schools. The tables and charts focus on: SURR schools in New York state; SURR schools by grade level; academic achievement in new SURR schools; academic performance in all SURR schools; children attending New York City SURR Schools…

This interim report provides findings on Title I services and policies and on instructional practices and their impact on student performance over the first 2 years of the Longitudinal Evaluation of School Change and Performance (LESCP). The LESCP is being conducted in 71 elementary schools in 7 states and 18 school districts that moved early to…

Despite the considerable attention given to literacy assessment, there has been very little examination of one of the most common assessment and reporting practices; namely, the teacher written report card. What kinds of literate subjects are constructed in teachers' written assessments of students and what are the effects for different students?…

"Evaluation of Title I Accountability Systems and School Improvement Efforts: Findings from 2002-03" examines the implementation of Title I accountability systems and school improvement efforts at the state, district and school levels. Based on surveys of all states, a nationally representative sample of districts, and a sample of…

Compares libraries at three historically disadvantaged universities (University of the Western Cape, University of Durban-Westville, University of Fort Hare), three historically white universities (University of Cape Town and the University of Natal in Durban and in Pietermaritzburg), and the University of Botswana. Discusses the legacy of…

Through the house system, a New York City high school's 2,500 students benefit from a small school environment while accessing large-school resources. Each house participating in a privately funded after-school program features various activities that supplement daily instruction while building on their students' interests. (MLH)

Education in the United States is a decentralized system composed of highly variable practices, programs, and school contexts. The primary technology of education, teaching, is highly complex and is typically designed and implemented by teachers who have traditionally enjoyed a great deal of autonomy and independence from regular inspection. The…

The author of this article is a young elementary teacher at Rosado Elementary in Richmond, California, on the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay. She writes this article as a moving memoir describing her experiences as a tutor in literacy programs developed by low-income schools. In order for their students to remember their lessons, they have…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Senators Introduce Graduation Promise Act: New Legislation Would Target Lowest-Performing High Schools; (2)…

The federal government is devoting millions of dollars to charter and voucher programs that currently require parents to abandon regular public schools. The goal of the authors of The School Choice Hoax is to expose the misleading hyperbole that has been driving the school choice movement and to show how charter schools can become more effective…

Despite being central to government education policy in many countries, there remains considerable debate about whether resources matter for pupil outcomes. In this paper we look at this question by considering an English education policy initiative--Excellence in Cities--which has been a flagship policy aimed at raising standards in inner-city…

The Incredible Years parent and classroom interventions were evaluated for the first time in elementary schools. Culturally diverse, socioeconomically disadvantaged schools were randomly assigned to intervention or control (CON). In intervention schools, all children received a 2-year classroom intervention beginning in kindergarten. In addition,…

This paper discusses selected techniques for measuring equity in a state school finance system and focuses on the distribution of fiscal outcomes among school districts in Pennsylvania. Measures of dispersion, measures of relationship, and winners-losers ratios are demonstrated with data from a small sample of school districts. Data from a…