Central Park East Secondary School (New York) is a school committed to authentic and learner-centered education. The school has developed an approach to assessing student performance that is active, authentic, and learner-centered. Students in the school's Senior Institute, a division comparable to the traditional grades 11 and 12, prepare 14…

This paper examines how urban school districts that have substantially improved student performance emphasize improvement of education guided by rigorous standards for teachers rather than high-stakes testing for students. States and districts that rely on test-based accountability emphasizing sanctions for students and teachers often produce…

This compilation brings together three previously published papers on the role of professional development in school restructuring. The three papers articulate a new paradigm for professional development in teaching which sees opportunities for teacher development residing in collegial work settings, team teaching environments, school improvement…

Proponents argue that the competition inherent in publicly funded tuition voucher programs will increase school quality and family choice, but voucher systems would be subject to the same forces that shape public schools. The efficiency and effectiveness of voucher plans must be assessed in light of those educational goals important to the…

International High School, New York (New York) is a secondary school for students who have been in the United States less than 4 years and who score below the 20th percentile on an English language proficiency test. The 310 students of 1988 came from 37 nations, and spoke 32 languages. An evaluation conducted in the 1991-92 school year indicates…

This monograph examines issues that will shape teacher education programs in the future. Following a foreword by Robert M. McClure, the monograph is organized into three chapters. The first, "Perestroika and Professionalism: The Case for Restructuring Teacher Preparation" (Linda Darling-Hammond), focuses on changes wrought by school…

During the 1990s, a new policy hypothesis focusing on the quality of teaching to provide a high-leverage means for improving student achievement began to gain currency. Based on interview, observation, survey, and record data collected at the state, district, and school levels over a five-year time period, the study offers a look at how the San…

While some proponents of testing rest their hopes for stronger learning on the expectation that tests alone will motivate students to work harder, most posit that better learning will result primarily from better teaching--due to curriculum changes, greater attention to student needs, stronger teacher motivation, or focused investments in…