Presents a procedure for standard setting that involves the cluster analysis of test takers to discover examinee groups that are useful for envisioning marginally competent performance or defining borderline or contrasting groups. Illustrates use of the procedure with a statewide mathematics test, and concludes that cluster analysis is useful in…

Provides information, for each U. S. state and the five outlying areas, on demographics, education agencies and schools, students and staff, and education revenues and expenditures. Contains a U. S. profile, ranking of the states, and profiles of the states and outlying areas. (SLD)

Describes the career of Don Carl Smellie who has exerted leadership in the promotion of new technologies for instruction in education, industry, and government. Discusses his founding of the Department of Instructional Technology at Utah Sate University (USU) and its efforts in distance education, technological innovation, international service,…

Profiles the first eight states, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New jersey, New York, Oregon, Wisconsin, to receive federal school-to-work grants and looks at how they are doing. (JOW)

Provides an overview of the recently developed state accountability system for public elementary and secondary schools in Rhode Island. Discusses accountability systems as technologies of social control and considers the costs, benefits, uncertainties, and necessary tensions associated with accountability systems. (Author/SLD)

Describes a study grading all 50 states on how well they deliver higher education. The study examined public and private colleges, and ranked states in five categories. Results were mixed, but no state received all As, and some had several poor grades. Every state received an incomplete in the area of student learning because researchers thought…

Discusses why many states are turning to community colleges to help them meet the growing need for elementary- and secondary-school instructors. Includes a sidebar with examples of such teacher education programs. (EV)

Presents analysis of guidance models in the United States. Commends 24 states in their initial attempts at model development in the personal/social domains. States that the most significant gap across models is in attention to ethnic and cultural developmental issues. Recommends authors of programs be more specific so that developmental guidance…

Examines the interpretation and implementation of the policies affecting the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Programs in Texas. Provides recommendations for consideration by the legislature, local school districts, and county juvenile agencies. (Author/JOW)

Since 2000, North Carolina has offered an alternative route to licensure for adults who desire to move into teaching from other careers. NC TEACH is a statewide alternative teacher preparation program aimed at recruiting, supporting, and retaining highly skilled mid-career professionals who seek to enter the teaching profession through the lateral…

A small state agency used the FLC model to collaborate with campuses on faculty development efforts that resulted in successful implementation of pedagogically robust and technologically enhanced programs. 2003-04 Ohio Learning Network Faculty Learning Communities are appended.

A new club in Rhode Island invited every Rhode Islander to read the same book and participate in the conversation on importance of reading. Narrative, analytical and various responses of students on reading "Wish You Well" are mentioned.

Studied the beliefs and practices of 31 teachers about classroom assessment and the Washington state assessment program. Data reveal teachers' preferences for multiple assessments, their objections to the state test for certain groups of students, and their preferences for specialized assessments respectful of student circumstances and readiness.…

For too long teachers have been forced into a defensive posture, protecting their professionalism and their students' learning from the accountability hawks who know little about teaching and learning, the author asserts. In this article, the author details how Nebraska educators have turned the tables on accountability by placing utmost…

This study seeks to inform the debate over a proposal in Georgia to give tax credits for contributions to organizations that provide scholarships to K-12 private schools. Such a program would extend to K-12 education the philosophy of choice that is inherent in the state's existing Hope Scholarships program for college students. This study…