While the transfer of policy between state governments is a well-researched practice, little is known about the state-to-state spread of programs generated and implemented by nonprofit organizations. In 1990, the nonprofit Child Care Services Association in North Carolina began an education and compensation scholarship program for 21 child care…

Every student absence jeopardizes the ability of students to succeed at school and schools to achieve their mission. Students who are not at school cannot receive instruction. Schools funded on the basis of average daily attendance have less resources to do the job. Some youngsters who are truant from school engage in behaviors that are illegal.…

As schools evolve improvement plans in keeping with higher standards and expectations and increased accountability, most planners recognize they must include a comprehensive focus on addressing barriers to student learning and promoting healthy development. A growing volume of research on the value of schools, families, and communities working…

The purpose of this research study was to determine if the implementation of a social skills curriculum would have a positive effect on the performance of severely emotionally or behaviorally disordered students (SEBD). The program studied was the Boys' Town Educational Model (BTEM). Student performance was defined in terms of reading recognition…

This book presents a rationale for learning-centered assessments in schools and an overview of the tools, techniques, and issues that educators should consider as they design and use assessments focused on learner needs. The proposals in this book are based on the premise that assessment should be deliberately designed to improve and educate…

The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 called for the U.S. Department of Education to prepare an Annual Performance Plan which links the Department's budget request with its Strategic Plan. To meet that directive, Volume 1 of the Department's Strategic Plan for 1999 is presented here. It includes objective performance plans and shows…

Noting that high achieving Indiana high school students can provide important insights into the educational system in the state, this study examined the opinions of recipients of Ameritchieve recognition, National Merit finalists, African-American students who were National Achievement finalists, and national Hispanic Scholar finalists, all from…

The percentage of students at/above a cut point (PAAC) is one of the most common measures used for reporting school-level performance relative to a proficiency standard (L. Cronbach, N. Bradburn, and D. Horvitz, 1994). The two purposes of this study were to introduce procedures for estimating standard errors for school PAACs under a…

This data report provides statistics regarding the number and percentage of Maryland community college students who earned a bachelor's degree from a public four-year campus in the state of Maryland within a specified period of years. The paper reports on students from the state's 15 community colleges who transferred during each academic year…

This study examined the external impacts and monitoring patterns of student assessment information on institutions, based on institutional type and control in seven areas: student applications or acceptance rates, allocation or share of state funding, evaluations from regional accrediting agency, private fund-raising results, success on grant…

In light of the 1997 Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requiring the inclusion of students with disabilities in state and district assessments, this report summarizes findings of a research synthesis designed to provide empirically based data to inform states regarding decision making for assessment polices. The…

This report reviews the proposed Virginia Higher Education Performance Funding Model. It includes an overview of the proposed funding model, examples of likely funding scenarios (including determination of block grants, assumptions underlying performance funding for four-year and two-year institutions); information on deregulation/decentralization…

In this interview with New American Schools (NAS) editors, the author explains how design-based assistance to schools works and suggests reasons why it might help schools become more successful in teaching all students to high standards. Questions cover such areas as the features of the NAS effort that distinguish it from other well-known models;…

This study examined transitions into and out of poverty and welfare across 4-year time periods and their implications for math and reading skills and behavior among 10- and 11-year-olds. Analyses of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-Child Supplement indicate that even with controls for factors that select families into poverty,…

Although research on the effects of K-12 single-sex education is inconclusive in general, some common themes emerge in the research literature. This Digest reviews that research with particular attention to effects on girls' attitudes and achievement. The Digest first discusses attitudinal variables (i.e., self-esteem and attitudes toward academic…