Children, grades three through six, in Lawrence (Massachusetts) were studied during the 1986-87 school year to determine whether participation in the School Breakfast Program by low-income children is associated with improvements in standardized achievement test scores and attendance rates. Findings indicate that participation is associated with…

Better organization and more efficient use of time are the key elements of a plan to boost student achievement at a Virginia district. Teachers focus almost all classroom time on direct instruction, guided practice, core courses, and applications to the real world. At the secondary level, teachers now also emphasize critical thinking and problem…

Although the term "arts education" conjures up competing images and definitions for different people, for the purposes of this policy brief, arts education is defined as incorporating four distinct subject areas: (1) music, (2) dance, (3) theater arts, and (4) visual arts, as taught by certified arts educators. The policy brief provides…

The focus of this brief is student success: To what extent can the accreditation process drive significant improvement in student persistence and completion at institutions that undergo the peer review process, particularly for students from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education? Because this inquiry is in service to Achieving…

This document contains the tables that are referred to but not included in the research monograph, "Improvement of Secondary Education Through Research: Five Longitudinal Case Studies." The monograph reports on two middle schools, one junior high school, and two senior high schools that were involved in the study project, which included…

The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of recent educational reform efforts in Washington State and to determine what educators believe to be the most important future areas of focus. In particular, the researchers wanted to determine whether school-wide improvement efforts (i.e. School Improvement Plans (SIPs), School Improvement…

The changing economic and social situation, the rapid expansion of technology, and the explosion of available knowledge are fundamentally altering the world economy. Today, our nation's students need not only basic skills, but higher level reasoning and communication and thinking ability, as well. In Connecticut, a committee was formed to…

Phase II of a three-phase study developed a statewide overview of compensatory education in Texas and examined instructional practices and other variables related to a broad definition of student success. Questionnaires (developed in Phase I) received from 3,235 campuses (a 55% return) collected descriptive information on compensatory programs and…

This document presents an overview of the design and implementation stages of a Spencerport (New York) project, designed to improve the educational program and student learning in each building in the district. The first section describes the project's goal for each building, which is that (1) 95 (or greater) percent of all students should…

This guide presents the components and implementation phases of the Technical Assistance Center's Chapter 1 Program Improvement Process. The goal of this process is to improve the achievement of educationally disadvantaged students. The following components are discussed: (1) teamwork; (2) informed decision-making; (3) vision setting; (4) research…

As states move toward higher expectations for student learning and stringent consequences for results, many school districts are demanding "reciprocity"--a level of resources and support they believe is needed to do the job. These demands are forcing policymakers to struggle with a difficult question: What kind and amount of resources does it take…

Teacher and administrator responses to the Connecticut School Interview, conducted as part of the Spencerport (New York) More Effective Schools/Teaching Project, indicated (1) that there are a number of correlates which can be considered areas of strength and (2) that steady improvement has occurred in installing correlates in each building and in…

This report presents the results of a process evaluation of the Saginaw (Michigan) 1988-89 elementary and secondary Academic Achievement (A2) compensatory education programs in reading and mathematics. Funding is provided by the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) Chapter 2, and by the State. Goals are the following: (1) provide…

School board members can use board policies to set the direction for effective instructional management. Effective schools appear to have these characteristics in common: (1) strong instructional leadership by the principal, (2) a safe and orderly atmosphere, (3) high expectations of all students, (4) schoolwide emphasis on basic skills…

While children are ready for school by virtue of having attained the chronological age for school entry established by the state, school readiness refers to the conditions that promote their readiness to succeed in school. Wisconsin is one of 17 states participating in the National School Readiness Indicators Initiative, the aim of which is to…