This book develops a framework to help policymakers and policy analysts understand and judge policy options, so they can construct alternatives to the reorganization of rural, small school districts. Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the book by stating the objectives and providing working definitions for "school district reorganization" and…

Problems with performance assessment (PA) and multiple-choice tests (MCTs) are outlined, with reference to the literature on accountability. PA for individual teachers who should integrate their assessments with their instruction; PA as a supplement to more traditional examinations for licensure decisions; and some limited, experimental tryouts of…

The 1982 annual report of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), a non-profit organization specializing in the protection of Indian rights, explains the organization, its structure, its priorities, its activities, and its financial status. Opening statements by the chairman, Roger Jim, and the executive director, John Echohawk, note that despite…

U.S. research institutions are undergoing significant changes from patterns established in the decade following World War II. Declining undergraduate enrollments are predicted to lead to "steady-state" universities; federal policy is emphasizing industry-university research cooperation and calling for a decreased federal role in the…

The implementation of a set of curriculum standards in Scottish public schools has raised some fears among Scottish teachers of English over whether such strict guidelines will impede the use of literary education to foster students' personal growth. Previously, freed from many curricular restrictions by a series of reforms in the 1960s and 1970s,…

In 1990, the California Community Colleges Assembly Bill 1725 (AB 1725) Accountability Task Force created an accountability model to provide information which would facilitate the assessment of community colleges' educational and fiscal effectiveness. The model contains five major components and indicators of effectiveness for each: (1) student…

This book provides the clarifying principles and practices for societal leaders who need to know there is a process, the Theory E project, that sheds light on the ethical leadership difference for the concrete dilemmas facing all key leaders. The book discusses ethical leadership communication in terms of the ethical leader's upper, downward, and…

On February 3, 1988, the Citizens Commission set forth the Ohio Challenge: Education 2000, an overall plan to move Ohio's public education system into the 21st century. This report reviews the findings of the Ohio Education 2000 Commission and numerous national studies. The members have attempted to define for the citizens of Ohio the specific…

A historical mode of inquiry to inform public policy discussions on accountability and economic efficiency in the public schools is presented. "Payment of results," a method of accountability instituted in the English elementary education system during the last-half of the 19th century, which was based upon governmental grants dependent…

Stage Two of the Title IV Quality Control Project is an evaluation of quality of the United States Department of Education's major student aid programs. The study sought to identify, measure, and analyze error during the 1985-86 academic year in each of the five major Title IV programs, including the Pell Grant program, the Campus-Based programs…

During the last five years, the Prince George's County (Maryland) public school system has brought about dramatic improvements in the academic achievement of at-risk students, offering strong evidence that public education can succeed for all children. This report describes how Prince George's County accomplished this turnaround through a process…

The Council of Chief State School Officers has raised some issues pertinent to the implementation of a national project to collect statistical indicators of academic achievement and to compare them across states. The United States Department of Education shares this concern, with an emphasis on sampling schools for a school level analysis which…

Ontario public school systems are responsible for ensuring that Ministry of Education documents, such as subject guidelines, are implemented in their schools. This paper describes an implementation plan developed and used in Simcoe County by a large rural school board with modest program support staff. Four distinct phases characterize this…

The role of the federal government in assessing and improving postsecondary educational programs are considered in hearings of the United States Senate. Testimony of Secretary of Education William Bennett discusses: the decline in quality of undergraduate education, areas of concern in vocational and professional education, the importance of…

Prepared by a Provost's Task Force on Assessment of Quality and Outcomes of Undergraduate Education, this report reviews the background of the currently burgeoning "assessment" movement and sets forth principles to guide the University of Arizona's efforts to redefine and reassess the quality and outcomes of its undergraduate programs.…