The Fordham Foundation commissioned experts in each of the five core academic subjects (English, history, geography, mathematics, and science) to develop criteria for excellence and apply them to as many state standards as could be obtained. This summary report compiles the numerical scores and letter grades that each state earned in every…

This speech reviews school effectiveness research over the past 5 years, presenting the most important conclusions: schools make a difference in how much children learn, and principals make a difference in school effectiveness. The characteristics of better schools listed are: 1) clear sense of purpose, (2) well-formulated instructional goals, (3)…

Research on educational choice suggests that students do better in schools that their families choose, that this is especially true for lower income and disadvantaged students, and that permitting choice does not adversely affect racial balance but may actually promote racially balanced schools. (Author/GC)

This document presents the Educational Excellence Network's third annual report card on the progress of education reform in the United States. Despite much activity, the report assigns reform efforts for 1995-96 the overall grade of C, which is the same grade given for the previous year. Part 1 presents data on academic achievement in American…

Urges implementation of a 48-week school year offering an optional fourth quarter that could be used for remediation or enrichment. Describes the impact of such a year on students, on parents' schedules, on teachers' salaries and schedules, and on administration. Considers factors affecting public acceptance of such a change. (PGD)

Examines the charter school approach in educational reform, discusses where it needs improvement and what state policy action may be needed in start-up, and presents some key recommendations. The nature of charter schools, their general purpose, composition, benefits, and problems also are examined. (GR)

According to these authors, the federal government has pushed far too deeply into the routines and operations of the nation's public schools, now regulating everything from teacher credentials to the selection of reading programs. Ironically, the one way to extricate Washington from the minutiae of K-12 education is to give it more power in one…

Addresses the question of what can be expected from the federal government's interference in the educational process. The article explains the assumptions behind government educational spending and provides examples and criticism of why this spending will not improve educational quality. The central problem is viewed as the government's lack of…

Suggests a few ways in which civic entrepreneurs can foster charter schools. Civic entrepreneurs, who need not be extremely wealthy, can help meet four critical needs of charter schools: (1) start-up capital, (2) technical assistance, (3) safeguarding freedom, and (4) fostering accountability. (SLD)

Summarizes three reasons for attending school (social, personal, and utilitarian) amd focuses on what should comprise utilitarian education for noncollege-bound high school students. Advocates curricula incorporating the skills, knowledge, values, and habits--especially continued willingness to learn--that will benefit students throughout…

U.S. economic and national security are linked to the quality of teaching and learning within the educational system. There is a need to improve the nation's ability to develop students who possess the capacities for responsible citizenship, vocational competence, and intellectual and social growth in a diverse and complex world. U.S. citizens…

Most of the industrialized world retains an obsolete, tracked, multitiered public education system that prepares some children for university and others for blue-collar jobs. This educational design neglects changes in technology, family structure, and community life, and its bureaucratized management values uniformity and process over initiative…

Analyzes the concept of local control against a background of rising state control. Focuses on school funding, equity, the excellence movement, and diversity and proposes a statewide educational voucher system. Concludes that the traditional conception of local control must be updated, but that school-level control is essential to improving…

This document contains two essays--the first on public education, and the second on private education. The first essay, entitled, "Our Schools and Our Future," points out a paradox--public-opinion polls show widespread public receptivity to fundamental changes in the education system; however, this attitude is accompanied by widespread complacency…

The central problem in educational improvement at the state and local level is the tension between school-level autonomy and systemwide uniformity; educational change is limited by three special conditions: (1) inertial autonomy, (2) essential uniformity of public schools, and (3) the fact that effective schools have characteristics that cannot be…