Instructional strategies make a difference in whether students are engaged in learning and are profiting from their time in class. High schools, technology centers and middle grades schools are encouraging teachers to adopt new teaching techniques and are providing opportunities for teachers to work together to improve their instructional skills…

State public policy has been an important tool for improving the educational preparation and opportunity for many communities. However, without concerted statewide efforts it will continue to be difficult to substantially expand opportunities to accelerate higher education attainment and workforce preparation. Over the next 15 years, the states…

This report summarizes preliminary and exploratory research conducted by the Council of the Great City Schools and the American Institutes for Research on urban school systems participating in the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The study is one of the first large-scale analyses…

There are fierce debates over the best way to prepare teachers. Some argue that easing entry into teaching is necessary to attract strong candidates, while others argue that investing in high quality teacher preparation is the most promising approach. Most agree, however, that we lack a strong research basis for understanding how to prepare…

This report is the twenty-fifth in a series of surveys sponsored annually by MetLife since 1984 as a public service. This 25th anniversary edition includes the views of teachers, principals and students and looks back to the earliest MetLife Surveys to examine how perspectives on teachers, teaching and public education have changed. It documents…

Early definitions of cultural diversity focused primarily on race/ethnicity, with subsequent inclusion of age, gender, sexual orientation, class, religion, geography, and a combination of positionalities. More recently, social justice has resurfaced as a component of cultural diversity to explain experiences of people of color, women, and…

SERVE, the Southeastern Regional Vision for Education, is a coalition of educators, business leaders, governors, and policymakers seeking comprehensive and lasting educational improvement in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina. This document contains the proceedings of a forum on the status of federal…

This document explains the recognition of accrediting institutions in the United States by the Secretary of Education. Preliminary information on accreditation in the United States covers the functions of accreditation, the overall accrediting procedure, types of accreditation, and nongovernmental coordinating agencies. A section on national…

This guide is designed to help prospective students, counselors, public agencies, and institutions better understand distance school accreditation and how the accreditation procedures of the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) work. The guide defines distance education, discusses who the accrediting…

This report describes the activities and findings of the Office of Indian Education Programs (OIEP) during fiscal year 1994 with regard to its monitoring and evaluation of academic and residential school programs funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Bureau's overall goals for its monitoring and evaluation program are to ensure compliance…

The summary information contained in this report provides teachers, school administrators, students, and the general public with an overview of the results from the June 1998 administration of the Science 30 Diploma Examination by the Alberta Department of Education in Canada. This information is most helpful when used with the detailed school and…

This report examines characteristics of students who enroll in the 50 highly selective universities identified by "U.S. News and World Report" as "Tier 1 National Universities." It explores whether achievement, course-taking patterns, participation in extracurricular activities, having a computer at home, or type of high school…

The Goals 2000: Educate America Act, which became law in 1994 and was amended in 1996, emphasizes student learning through a long-term, broad-based effort to promote coherent and coordinated improvements in education. A report of this act's influence on education is presented here. The text provides a history of Goals 2000, including the…

In 1996, the Board on International Comparative Studies of the National Research Council sponsored a workshop to assess what has been learned about making education standards internationally competitive and to examine why criteria for international competitiveness have been so difficult to articulate. A summary of the issues raised at this…

The Curriculum Inquiry Cycle is a professional development process that supports educators as they match curriculum and instruction to state standards, local needs, and student characteristics. Ways in which to implement this cycle are provided in this booklet. There are four phases in the cycle: examining current practice, making decisions,…