The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2001) is a landmark reform reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, 1965). In its second year of implementation, NCLB is the most ambitious federal effort to raise student achievement in 38 years (Mathews, 2003). Its intent is to close achievement gaps among students who belong to minority…

Although other New England cities also reap the benefits of college and university presences, Cambridge is the quintessential "college town." It was with an uncomfortable appreciation for this value-added aspect of universities that the author, as a newly elected city councilor in 1993, found herself in the offices of a VP for government…

The alarming number of children killed and seriously injured as a result of child maltreatment and neglect has led to increased calls for action. In response, interdisciplinary and multiagency child death review teams have emerged as an important component of child protection. Paradoxically, child death review teams are among the least visible and…

What is the responsibility of an educator--where does it begin and end? We report on a study of teachers at four admired public high schools in urban areas in the US. The teachers describe their deep commitment to meeting students' academic needs, as well as their developmental, social and emotional needs. The ways these teachers construe…

Although the overall mission of second language (L2) teacher education has remained relatively constant, that is, to prepare L2 teachers to do the work of this profession, the field's understanding of that work--of who teaches English, who learns English and why, of the sociopolitical and socioeconomic contexts in which English is taught, and of…

This article revisits the important issue raised by Peter Tymms where he challenges the official government reports of an impressive rise in standards in mathematics and English in primary schools in England since 1995, suggesting that the rise in scores, particularly since 2000, does not indicate rising standards. In order to substantiate its…

The accountability required by school-reform measures such as No Child Left Behind has placed increased emphasis on data analysis for appraising schools, administrators, teachers, and students. The focus of accountability-driven initiatives is developing policies and procedures that collectively influence the district, the school, and most…

Critics of the No Child Left Behind Act begun to circulate proposals for fixing what they view as major flaws in its accountability provisions. Although the law is not slated for reauthorization until 2007, they are hoping for amendments, in part to address the large number of schools and districts that may not meet its performance targets. This…

This article discusses how state and education officials examined efforts underway to devise systems of support for low-performing schools and districts. Most state education agencies and local school districts are counting on academic coaches and teams of experienced educators to turn around underperforming schools. While those approaches have…

Australian higher education has undergone radical change aimed transforming universities into commercial enterprises less dependent on public funding. Despite some significant successes, including dramatic increases in the numbers of domestic and international students, decreased Commonwealth subsidies, and more private sector finance, there are…

Since the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, education policy makers have focused on students at the lower end of the achievement spectrum, specifically those struggling to meet standards, particularly in reading and mathematics. However, those who are considered gifted have been increasingly underserved, at the expense of high ability…

This 2008 Annual Joint Report of the State Board of Education and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission identifies four joint priorities and nine associated goals addressing areas of need in both student learning and educator development for the advancement of education in Tennessee. The joint priorities and initiatives focus on points of…

Accountability and performance incentive plans in education are compromised by goal distortion, gaming, and corruption. Education policy makers who design such plans have paid insufficient attention to similar experiences in other fields. This paper describes institutions in health care, job training and welfare administration, and in the private…

This report describes Ohio's school restructuring efforts under the No Child Left Behind Act, including findings from interviews with state officials and case studies of nine schools in four school districts: Cincinnati Public Schools, Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Mansfield City Schools, and Mount Vernon City Schools. Key findings from…

Every year, the ministry writes to the public post-secondary institutions outlining operating budget allocations, service delivery targets and priority issues. The letters are a component of ministry planning, as identified in the accountability framework. Goals and objectives are identified in the annual ministry service plan. Each institution…