Academic institutions are becoming increasingly interested in the collection and presentation of data to support strategic planning, accreditation, and accountability needs. With an increased emphasis on campus-wide involvement and centralized data collection at some institutions, the integrity, accessibility, and interpretation of data become key…

As part of a series of reports designed to support the implementation of Proposition 10: The California Children and Families Act and to provide comprehensive and authoritative information on critical issues concerning young children and families in California, this report addresses how Proposition 10 Commissions can organize their work and their…

This paper looks at ways of ensuring Czech regions and municipalities are fully motivated to make efficiency improvements in public service provision and so help achieve countrywide fiscal sustainability. The very large number of small municipalities in the Czech Republic means that scale economies are difficult to exploit and the policy options…

SREB states were among the first in the nation to set comprehensive state academic standards for K-12 schools. Setting these initial standards was only part of the job. Getting these standards right and keeping them right may be the most important task facing public education today. If state standards are too low, many public school graduates will…

This guidebook gives educators an exciting new approach to improving language and writing skills for all students. Developed through a decade of work with elementary and middle school children, the Writing Lab Approach uses computer-supported activities to encourage student progress in each stage of the writing process, from organizing to editing.…

The Water in Africa Project was realized over a 2-year period by a team of Peace Corps volunteers, World Wise Schools (WWS) classroom teachers, and WWS staff members. As part of an expanded, detailed design, resources were collected from over 90 volunteers serving in African countries, photos and stories were prepared, and standards-based learning…

In an effort to provide a sound basis for educational accountability for preschool programs, the Arizona Early Childhood Education (ECE) Standards were developed as a framework for literacy-based programs for 3- and 4-year-olds and to provide parents with a basic understanding of indicators of early learning. These standards, to be adopted by…

Effective parental involvement extends itself beyond the classroom and into the home by providing academic support. Indeed, parents must be committed to strengthening the partnership between the home and Mississippi's schools. This curriculum guide, with a clear, easy-to-follow design, is intended as a resource guide to help parents understand the…

To guide districts through the process of creating workable technology plans, the Massachusetts Department of Education developed a set of benchmark standards that can be viewed as goals for districts to achieve by the year 2003. Based on findings from the most recent "Tech Plan Updates," the Department's online data collection system,…

The Water in Africa Project was realized over a 2-year period by a team of Peace Corps volunteers, World Wise Schools (WWS) classroom teachers, and WWS staff members. As part of an expanded, detailed design, resources were collected from over 90 volunteers serving in African countries, photos and stories were prepared, and standards-based learning…

Based on a survey of five similar institutions, Pennsylvania State University identified four principles of model information technology (IT) practice: use of policy, budget, and strategy measures to maximize IT benefits; early IT implementation; emphasis on customer service to integrate IT into institutional culture; and use of standards,…

To bring students up to internationally benchmarked standards, high schools must abandon the ineffective general curriculum and focus resources on a narrower, academic curriculum. Professional and vocational education should be provided in postsecondary settings after students receive certificates of initial mastery. A 12-point school redesign…

Investigated the usefulness of preprofessional benchmarks and competencies as a metric for learning to teach for preservice students entering teacher-preparation programs. Preservice and cooperating teachers completed the Preprofessional Accomplished Practice Indicators Survey before, during, and after student teaching. Results indicated that the…

A telephone survey investigated the level of father involvement in primary schools in a regional area of New South Wales. Hypotheses tested were: (a) that the level of mother involvement is higher than that of fathers, and (b) that fathers are primarily involved in gender stereotypical activities. The survey also aimed to provide a benchmark for…

This chapter discusses how Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) has used data from the National Community College Benchmark Project. Analysis of project benchmark data led to a review of high course-withdrawal rates and CPCC withdrawal policies as well as their effects on student program completion and within-term retention. As a result, the…