This document contains the 12 issues of the newsletter "Rural Policy Matters" published in 2000. Issues examine recent educational research on small and rural schools; report on state standards and court litigation related to rural schools, the efforts of communities to save their local schools, and the condition of rural facilities;…

Because children entering kindergarten come with a variety of preschool and home experiences, and accordingly, with varying levels of school readiness, the Wyoming Early Childhood Readiness Standards have been developed to provide a more consistent definition of school readiness. The goal for the Standards is to provide early childhood educators…

This report aims to encourage the wider use of target setting for individual students and trainees in the learning and skills sector, defined as the provision of post-16 further and continuing education and training, funded and inspected in England by the new Learning and Skills Council. Section 1 addresses types of targets for individual students…

Some fundamental assessment-related issues must be considered as states and localities refine and build upon existing assessment systems. First is the likely impact of increased high-stakes testing on industry-valued high school programs and their students. Data are inconclusive but suggest consequences of high-stakes testing on these programs and…

The Illinois Early Learning Standards were developed by the Illinois State Board of Education with the assistance of hundreds of educators. The goal of the standards is to provide teachers and caregivers useful information that is directly needed as part of their daily classroom work. Based on comments from educators, parents, and various experts…

This short monograph details a simple system of documentation that can be used with any school district's personnel evaluation process. The goal of the monograph is to help supervisors, especially principals, accord fair treatment to employees who are systematically evaluated. The documentation system is founded on the concept of communication.…

This booklet outlines what students must know and be able to do to succeed in entry-level university courses. The standards presented in the booklet were designed to create a new way to view college preparation. The standards--known as the knowledge and skills for university success (KSUS) standards--were developed from a 2-year study in which…

This report presents a literature review that was initiated to provide Virginia school districts with information about attracting and retaining quality teachers. The review addresses what school divisions are doing to retain teachers in the first 5 years; teachers' perceptions regarding school division retention strategies; and reasons teachers…

This document shares lessons learned related to states' strategies to improve accountability. Case studies describe promising practices or particular strategies within an accountability system that have operationalized six standards identified by the National Association of State Boards of Education. The introduction discusses accountability and…

This publication from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is designed to inform parents about the department's Grade Five curriculum standards in four major areas: language arts/reading, mathematics, science, and social studies. The integrated language arts/reading standards require students to recognize and respond to different…

This theme issue of Basic Education contains five articles on rural schools. "Small Schools: A Political Irony" (Marty Strange) notes the current enthusiasm among education reformers for small schools and the evidence of their effectiveness. Given this context, the question is posed as to why rural communities where small schools are…

Idaho has made substantial progress carrying out its State School Improvement Plan under the direction of the Idaho State Board of Education and the Idaho State Department of Education, and with funding under the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. Three major areas of accomplishment provide the basis for continuing improvement activities. The first…

This report discusses current secondary school restructuring efforts of nine school districts that are implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and New York State initiatives to provide students with disabilities access to general education curriculum and settings. It demonstrates how Skrtic's (1995) mutually reinforcing…

Noting that productive family-school relationships are necessary for socializing and supporting children and adolescents as learners, and that such relationships can take many forms, this book examines the goals, contributions, and accountability of families and schools for educational outcomes. Addressed to school psychologists, the book…

As part of their ongoing accountability and program improvement initiatives, Illinois colleges annually conduct a survey of occupational program graduates. This report provides statewide information from graduates of selected occupational programs regarding the effectiveness of their community college experiences. Data for the report were obtained…