Millions of middle and high school students lack the reading and writing skills they need to succeed in college, compete in the workforce, or even understand their daily newspaper. However, while Congress has demonstrated a real commitment to improve reading instruction in grades K-3, it has made relatively trivial investments (mainly through the…

New Hampshire is in the midst of a transition--a transition between assessment systems--a transition between accountability systems. The elementary grades were assessed with the newly developed New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) tests in October 2005. The high school (grade 10) will be assessed with New Hampshire's previous state-wide…

Teacher quality is one of the most important predictors of a child's academic achievement, but schools in Indiana and across the nation are struggling to employ a full cadre of teachers who are qualified to instruct the subjects they are teaching. This policy brief explores the factors and circumstances behind the national struggle to meet the…

With real-world examples from actual schools, this book illustrates how to nurture a culture of continuous improvement, meet the needs of individual students, foster an environment of high expectations, and meet the requirements of NCLB. Each component of the Data-Driven Instructional Leadership (DDIS) model represents several branches of…

Section 180 of Title 16 requires the State Board of Education (Board) to "adopt through a public process a statewide strategic education plan to describe how the agency will help school boards to improve student performance." The Vermont State Board of Education and Commissioner Richard H. Cate drafted a plan that was adopted by the…

To Americans, innovation means much more than the latest gadget. It means creating a more productive, prosperous, mobile and healthy society. Innovation fuels this way of life and improves quality of life. Its wellspring is education. President Bush has made innovation and education top priorities. He worked with Congress to pass the most…

The Unsafe School Choice Option (USCO) (section 9532 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001) requires that each State receiving funds under the ESEA establish and implement a statewide policy requiring that students attending a persistently dangerous public elementary or…

Professional development for teachers of mathematics is changing dramatically. It is changing, in terms of content and pedagogy--because of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards, which imply a more collaborative, constructive, and student-centered approach to instruction--and in terms of format--because of research on the…

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act was enacted in 1987 as the first federal legislation intended to comprehensively combat homelessness. Title VII-B of the Act created the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program, which authorizes the appropriation of federal funds to ensure that children and youth experiencing homelessness…

Noting that investments in children are often the first casualties of lean state budgets, this advocacy "toolbox" offers information on the most pressing needs of New Hampshire children and on effective solutions. The toolbox begins with information on advocacy and characteristics of an effective child advocate; specifically, an…

This report summarizes the state of knowledge about children and youth with disabilities at risk of delinquency or already involved with the juvenile justice system. It reviews the existing research as well as perspectives of service providers, administrators, policy makers, and advocates. Following an executive summary and introductory chapter,…

Web sites today should meet Web accessibility guidelines to comply with a host of regulations and guidelines for people with disabilities. Recent estimates state that 20% of the U.S. population has a disability and that 10% of the on-line population is disabled. Our aging population also experiences similar issues. This session will help you…

This research provides an overview of the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship program. This research reviews the development of the program and provides a description of House bill 787. The research also provides baseline data on higher education in Tennessee. Information related to enrollments, graduates, student-faculty ratios, and…

Because of an increasingly challenging fiscal climate, state lawmakers are faced with making tough financial decisions regarding their early childhood systems. This document describes and examines various funding sources used when making decisions about possible early childhood initiatives combined with policy choices that may be considered in…

This book discusses topics designed to assist school leaders and teachers in creating safe schools. It explains how to develop, implement, and evaluate an anti-bullying program and describes how to teach students to use three methods when dealing with bullies (social skills, assertiveness, and conflict resolution techniques). Seven chapters focus…