In order to assess how completely a Small Learning Community (SLC) and/or Career Academy is implemented in any given site, and to connect the degree of implementation with the amount of improvement in student performance, two kinds of information are needed. The first is information on the quality of implementation, which can be collected by…

This qualitative research study, in the format of an historical narrative, chronicles the issues, process of consensus, and the impact of the National History Standards Project (NHSP) on local policies and curricula in history education. The "culture wars" for the "National Standards for History" of 1994-1996 and quest for a…

The fact that online learning has been successful for many schools across the country does not mean that it has been free of challenges. Indeed, there are numerous issues and challenges in online learning. Few policymakers anticipated that any space time, any space place learning was possible when most education laws were authored over the past 50…

This paper provides information about New Jersey's High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA). The purpose of the exam is to: (1) Determine prospective high school graduates' mastery of selected content and overview foundation skills in math and literacy; (2) Encourage districts and schools to identify and serve students at risk of academic…

This paper provides information about Mississippi Subject Area Testing Program. The purpose of the exam is to: (1) Determine prospective high school graduates' mastery of the state curriculum; (2) Provide data to state policymakers on student attainment of state education goals to inform education policy decisions; (2) Increase alignment of local…

This brief is a summary of "Increasing the Application of Developmental Sciences Knowledge in Educator Preparation: Policy Issues and Recommendations" by Robert C. Pianta, Randy Hitz and Blake West. It includes highlights and policy recommendations contained in that paper. This brief argues that teachers and education administrators need…

This Information Capsule is the third in a series of papers addressing factors contributing to low academic achievement. The two previous papers addressed issues relevant to class size reduction and teacher quality/preparation. The premise of this Information Capsule is that there is no single smoking gun relative to improving school performance.…

The annual meeting of the ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) IQA (internal quality assurance) Group gathered some 60 participants in the premises of the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) in The Hague in June 2009. This seminar was a successful follow-up to the first ENQA IQA…

This paper investigates the complex interactions that occur as teachers meet online to justify and negotiate their assessment judgements of student work across relatively large and geographically dispersed populations. Drawing from sociocultural theories of learning and technology, the technology is positioned as playing a role in either…

The Pacific Mathematics and Science Regional Consortium has developed standards for excellence in mathematics and science education appropriate to the Pacific regions. These standards are presented in three volumes, and the series is firmly based upon the research findings of scientists, teachers, curriculum developers, and others. This volume…

Article explained the purposes and services of the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education and outlined the procedures for accreditation. (Author/RK)

Article focused on the role that industry and education must play in ensuring that school-leavers are given the right guidance at the right time, and that educational standards are relevant to the requirements of the employer. (Author/RK)

Standards in education have generated a great deal of dialogue. Many people who debate the question of standards in schools do not understand the term well; they do not know precisely what it is that has supposedly fallen or risen. In Ontario, even though there is not a great deal of evidence to indicate whether standards are rising or falling,…

Accepting the premise that nongovernmental accreditation is preferable to government accrediting, this study sought to identify changes which need to be made in the organization of nongovernmental accreditation in order that it can continue to be a socially useful enterprise. Through the use of the Delphi procedure, approximately 100 persons…

Questionnarie data were obtained from 391 (58% of 668 deans of U.S. graduate and professional programs in liberal arts and sciences, education, law, medicine, and nursing on nontraditional undergraduate grading systems. The major findings are that: (1) grade-point averages remain the single most important criterion for the evaluation of graduate…