Since 2012, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has supported educational enrichment in rural areas by awarding over $3.3 million in grants to six outstanding organizations operating in Iowa, Indiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. In this report, the authors combine the experiences of these organizations with findings from the…

The author spent his two superintendencies perfecting a collaborative leadership concept known as "the superintendency." This concept recognized that significant change and positive, continuous improvement required long-term, concentrated attention rather than a few years of frantic activity. While the "superintendency"…

Every April, the staff of Stilwell Junior High School (West Des Moines, Iowa) spend a day analyzing student data together. Staff members consider standardized tests scores, look at item-by-item results and trends, and consider how groups are performing. They also look at social data, gathered from students about how the youth view their school…

This past June, the Iowa River overflowed its banks and deluged 20 buildings on the University of Iowa's Iowa City campus. As the floodwaters finally receded, regents and administrators on the Iowa campus began dealing with all the ramifications and lessons of the flooding--including the key roles of testing emergency plans, nonstop communication,…

Some think a good superintendent these days shares a lot in common with a superhero. Larry Hill is one superintendent who really does don a cape. It is a flowing black one, complemented by a sparkly white bow tie and red top hat. And better yet, he wears it on his job as the top administrator of the North Iowa Community Schools in Buffalo Center,…

Information on the funding of the area school system in Iowa is provided. First, the report provides background information on the history and funding of the system, which was established in 1965 to meet local and state needs of adults for postsecondary and adult education. The report indicates that the funding sources available to the area…

The Iowa Adult Basic Education Assessment Study was conducted to document the qualities of excellence, accountability, and purpose that are present in Iowa's adult basic education (ABE) program. A six-step documentation procedure included creation of an ABE task force; submission of written assessment reports from ABE coordinators; development,…

In view of federal legislation being proposed for the reauthorization of the Adult Education Act that promotes increased program accountability and benchmarking of learner outcomes, this publication has been prepared as part of an effort to document student achievement in Iowa. Based on studies that have taken place over the past 17 years, this…

This booklet presents a collection of seven practitioner research reports conducted by individuals employed through adult basic education (ABE), Graduate Equivalency Diploma (GED), and English as a second language (ESL) programs and funded by the Iowa State Staff Development Committee. The practitioner research presented in the collection gives…

This study was conducted to identify critical incidents which presidents, administrators, faculty, and student services personnel reported as examples of effective and ineffective leadership behaviors of community college presidents. Of the 1,491 surveys mailed to personnel at 11 Iowa community colleges, 511 were returned, yielding 709 effective…

This handbook for Iowa school districts was first published many years ago. Since that time, several significant sociopolitical and educational changes have occurred. For example, there has been an increase in the number of languages and cultures represented both in Iowa and in the political arenas of the nation. Immigrants and refugees from…

This report identifies issues and offers recommendations concerning the development of all three sectors of Iowa's higher education community (community colleges, independent colleges and universities, and regent colleges and universities). The report first outlines the educational environment within Iowa in terms of demographic, educational,…

This document describes: (1) the programs and environments that may be considered as general education environments for children with disabilities under the age of six, in addressing the least restrictive provisions of legislation; (2) the procedures to be followed in the process of developing individualized education program (IEP) goals and…