A new approach in alternative assessment focuses on student-led conferences. This paper explains how one Iowa middle school implements student-led conferences. The approach combines authentic assessment via portfolios with greater student involvement. Additional components include self-assessment, effective communication, parental involvement, and…

Ontario, Canada's grassroots movement toward integrating disabled students harmonizes with governmental intentions to reduce costs while preserving student rights and accountability. However, decentralized, market-driven models hamper equity. More students are labelled exceptional, schools target privileged enrollees, minority students lack…

The Glion Declaration, issued after a 1998 higher education leadership colloquium, proposes strategies for addressing higher education challenges in the 21st century. Issues addressed include teaching as moral vocation, scholarship as public trust, creation of new intellectual alliances, use of information technology, public service as…

The critical issue for education is how to induce the most productive use of school resources through governance, finance, and management structures that enhance student achievement. Despite inadequate research and waning public confidence, Americans want all kids to learn and achieve to high standards. (MLH)

Case study of how teachers reacted to policy paradoxes related to a district's efforts to implement an inclusive special-education program. Examines how emerging teacher leaders attempted to make sense of several policy paradoxes within the context of ambiguous site-based management practices. (Contains 48 references.) (PKP)

The 2002 restructuring of the national curriculum in all Japanese public elementary and secondary schools includes a reduction and reallocation of instructional hours, and the addition of a new "integrated studies" course, with an emphasis on more individualized, cross-curricular thematic projects. This reform comes at a time when a…

The paper discusses the process whereby a system of teacher evaluation was established in Chile through a lengthy and complicated process of negotiations between the three main institutions concerned: the Teachers' Union, the Association of Chilean Municipalities (managers of the public school system) and the Ministry of Education. The process is…

An eight-year study of 49 schools purporting to practice and apply Quality Management (QM) techniques and processes uncovered some revealing differences between what respondents thought "should be" happening in these schools and what they reported was happening. The gaps uncovered could be recognized as differences between rhetoric and…

Legislative and programmatic efforts to improve teacher quality have become a major focus of state policymaking in recent years. States have employed numerous strategies in response to concerns about the preparation, quantity, and capacity of the teacher workforce. In this chapter, the authors introduce conceptual frameworks for understanding…

This paper describes the results of teacher education candidates' use of a Web-based assessment system including electronic portfolios. A teacher education program adopted a novel Web-based Accountability Model for assessment and learning. The Web-based Education Accountability System (EAS) was based on the Web-based Accountability Model, and…

In light of a new state-mandated performance-based funding mechanism for community colleges in California, this article discusses how one district sought to implement new internal evaluation procedures to improve student outcomes in line with systemwide goals outlined in the performance-based funding. These efforts introduced an evaluative …

These are challenging times for teachers. Mixed messages, conflicting demands, and increasing needs on all fronts surround them. Each day, teachers face increasing requirements and significant pressures on their daily practice from administrators and policymakers. It is hard to be, or remain, a teacher of quality committed to one's ideals. In this…

We queried Florida elementary teachers about how they perceived their principals' professional and personal inviting leadership behaviors during a time when many teachers and principals felt a lot of pressure due to test-based accountability. Despite the pressure, teachers reported that their principals demonstrated fairly high levels of inviting…

The disproportionate representation of minority students in special education programs has been a persistent problem in American education. Being labeled as disabled often has a negative impact on social relationships and self-concept and long-term outcomes such as graduation and employment. Disproportionate identification of students from certain…

Educational systems worldwide still continue to rely heavily on public sources of funding. Nearly 80% of the expenditure on higher education comes from public sources in OECD countries; the share is even larger in developing countries. There is a concerted effort in many countries to reduce the reliance on state funding and move towards…