The United Kingdom (UK) system of public education and training has been fundamentally reformed over the last 15 years. The improvements were designed to raise the quality of the system through increased autonomy for schools, colleges, and universities; a strengthened framework of accountability; enhanced parental and student choice; a more…

The myths, politics, and realities of public school choice in Canada are explored. With the crisis of confidence in the public education system that has been documented in recent years, parents are seeking to ensure academic success for their children through choice of schools, under the theory that there is no universal best school model. Public…

Well-developed models exist for the creation of multischool networks to promote the replication of effective practices beyond a single school. These networks are found in the Catholic schools. These networks are excellent models for the effective linkage of schools serving students of different socioeconomic and cultural groups in widely separated…

This chapter concentrates on policies that increase the efficiency of schools rather than just more spending. The first focus is on the causes of educational inefficiency. These include lack of standards and accountability, centralization, unaccountable management and labor, federally induced inefficiency, and nonmarket inefficiency. Steps…

This book offers parents and community members a clear picture of the Kentucky school improvement design through a solid and user-friendly explanation of the basics of the plan. The chapters are: (1) "What Is This Book For?"; (2) "What Is Our School System Working To Achieve?"; (3) "What Do Our Students Need To Know and Be…

This paper reports on a study that sought to determine the relationships between investment in education and training and performance in production, quality, and safety in manufacturing companies in northeast Alabama and northwest Georgia. The study also examined whether company size was a factor in predicting the ratio of the investment. One…

With regard to testing, technology has already played significant roles in the form of scoring technology, analytical practices, and development strategies. Two common functions of technology and testing are currently at work. First is the use of technology to meet existing goals more efficiently, and second is the use of technology to expand the…

This paper describes the Milken Family Foundation's Teacher Advancement Program (TAP), which was designed to address many of the problems in today's education. TAP uses a systemic approach that builds on five key principles: providing teachers with multiple career paths and opportunities to advance in the profession without having to leave the…

A method for measuring the contribution an individual makes to group work is described, and its use is supported through a study of 57 university students aged from 20 to 46 years working in 8 groups of 4 to 10 members each. The method recognizes that the most valid sources of information on the contribution of each individual to the group work…

This book is premised on the conviction that being a successful principal is more than being a good manager. Becoming an effective school leader means understanding the culture as well as acquiring the technical skills. The book discusses the personalities and value systems that school leaders need to succeed. It is designed for first-year…

This paper examines accountability outcomes of Tennessee school districts, comparing rural versus urban districts and litigant versus nonlitigant districts from a 1993 fiscal equity lawsuit. School districts were assigned a measure of rurality using the Cleland Rurality Index, and comparisons were made among the 29 low-rurality districts, 66…

This paper describes the District of Columbia Public School System (DCPS); articulates challenges it faced prior to standards based reform; presents strategies for reforming large urban systems' health and physical education (HPE) programs; and notes strategies for incorporating a standards-based performance-driven model. DCPS reading and math…

This booklet provides basic information and guidelines to rural New York school districts competing for grants or other competitive funding. Section 1 examines new realities in the education landscape: the demand for higher academic standards, requirements for increased accountability, the call for systemic change, the need to integrate and align…

This policy paper examines the products, services, and innovations that a fully competitive marketplace could generate if the government loosened its grip on education, noting that the failure of government-run schools to prepare students for the rigors of the modern economy is a pressing policy problem as well as an opportunity for the private…

This report analyzes information from 12 Educational Flexibility Partnership Demonstration (EFD) program state reports submitted to the U.S. Department of Education in spring 2000. The EFD program helps schools and districts implement educational reforms and raise student achievement by providing increased flexibility in implementing federal…