This article documents our efforts to design and implement a transformational opportunity for teacher credential candidates prior to their student teaching. Through the Case Study Project, candidates participated in an intensive one-on-one teaching and learning experience with a K-12 English language learner (ELL) in classroom settings. In…

Since 2002, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) at The George Washington University, a national advocate for public education and improving public schools, has been studying state high school exit examinations--tests students must pass to receive a high school diploma. This year marks the 11th year CEP has reported on exit exams in order to help…

This paper reports on the analysis of state statutes and department of education regulations in fifty states for changes in teacher evaluation in use since the passage of No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. We asked what the policy activity for teacher evaluation is in state statutes and department of education regulations, how these changes in…

Theoretically, higher education professionals agree that public trusteeship matters, yet little attention is given to the influence trustees have on the performance of public higher education. This study examines the relationship between selection and appointment processes and state higher education performance. Findings show that top-performing…

This report looks at actions Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states have taken in recent years to improve the connections between public two- and four-year colleges, and it offers suggestions on what needs to happen next. To best understand the progress in their states, policymakers and education leaders should ask about the effectiveness…

This brochure provides a checklist of information for individuals considering massage therapy training in South Carolina. Areas covered include: (1) Oversight; (2) Requirements to Become a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT); (3) Evaluating a School; (4) How to Decide; (5) While You're Enrolled; (6) After You Graduate; (7) Continuing Education; (8)…

The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, December 3, 2004, (IDEA '04) and its implementing federal regulations, October 13, 2006, prompted the need to revise Virginia's special education regulations. Input was received from a Stakeholders Group that included school personnel, parents, consumers,…

The First Condition Report provided policymakers and the general public a snapshot of where Ohio stands in providing the higher education services Ohio needs to be competitive in today's world. This Second Report focuses on facilities and technology. Five questions form the core of The Condition Report. These are: (1) Are Ohio's higher education…

In this paper, the authors review and analyze state policy regarding beginning teacher mentoring with a focus on special education. Mentoring policies guide the selection, assignment, and training of mentors and the process with which novice teachers are matched with veteran mentors. Mentoring is a component of induction; but induction also…

This paper provides information about Alabama High School Graduation Exam, 3rd Edition, a comprehensive standards-based exam. The purpose of the exam is to: (1) Provide schools with student academic diagnostic information; (2) Determine prospective high school graduates' mastery of the state curriculum; (3) Increase alignment of local curriculum…

This paper provides information about Ohio Graduation Test, a comprehensive standards-based exam. The purpose of the test is to: (1) Measure the level of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies skill expected at the end of 10th grade; (2) Ensure that students achieve a passing score as a condition of granting a diploma; (3)…

This paper provides information about South Carolina's High School Assessment Program. The purpose of the test is to: (1) Demonstrate students' achievement based on selected South Carolina academic standards; (2) Provide data to state policymakers on student attainment of state education goals to inform educational policy decisions; and (3) Meet a…

This study examined whether instructional policies at the local level are becoming standardized as a result of state and federal accountability initiatives. A stratified random sample of 21 Virginia school districts was used, and the policies reviewed covered seven topics: class size, student grouping, homework, remedial instruction programs,…

This research compares the likelihood of exiting TANF with and without employment and the effects of important state TANF rules on welfare exits in more disadvantaged (large Rustbelt cities and poor southern nonmetro) and less disadvantaged (other metro and other nonmetro) areas during the 1996-2003 post-welfare reform period. Hierarchical…

In the period after the collapse of the Soviet Union, cadre problems in Russian science gradually came to be included among the problems that are the most pressing and whose solutions need to be given top priority. The mass exodus of young and middle-aged qualified specialists from scientific research institutes, design bureaus, and scientific…