The 2013 edition of the "Digest of Education Statistics" is the 49th in a series of publications initiated in 1962. The Digest has been issued annually except for combined editions for the years 1977-78, 1983-84, and 1985-86. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American…

To shed light on how states can use school performance data to support failing schools, the present study examined a subset of underperforming schools in South Carolina in the wake of a series of state-supported interventions. The study, part of a comprehensive evaluation of the South Carolina External Review Team Program, made extensive use of…

In response to the critical need for geographical knowledge, educators and concerned stakeholders have built a national consensus regarding content standards in "Geography for Life: National Geography Standards 1994." The 18 standards for grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12 specify the essential knowledge, skills, and perspectives that students…

This guidebook is intended as a road map to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Technical Education Act of 1998 (Perkins III) for career-technical education (CTE) practitioners and policymakers in Illinois. The following topics are among those covered: (1) framework for Perkins III (national educational reform, Illinois provisions for quality CTE,…

Discusses two current educational trends: continuing cuts in educational funding, and expanded educational goals such as Goals 2000. Urges teachers to assume the responsibilities of professionalism, to be proactive, and to work collectively as individuals by lobbying to restrain state and federal legislators from diminishing funding for education.…

Based on research on the features that are found in effective school-wide bilingual education programs, assessment strategies for such programs are offered. The features are in three groups: indicators relating to school context (ethos, management, and resources that affect the attitudes of school staff, students, and parents in language minority…

Results of a 1994 survey of state directors of special education are presented for 47 states, 7 protectorates, and the District of Columbia. Four major issues were surveyed: the effects of activities outlined in Goals 2000 on state special education service delivery systems; efforts that states are making to develop learner goals and related…

The Odyssey Project is named for the Greek hero, Odysseus, who for 10 years, sought the purpose of life. The Project is based on the philosophy that a new generation of American schools must be viewed as a lifelong quest for excellence. The project is one of 11 designs for schools funded by the New American Schools Development Corporation, a…

Work-based education (WBE), including traditional vocational education and other career-focused programs, was an important curricular component in American schools for most of the 20th century. The 1990s was a period of substantial change for work-based education (WBE). Spurred on by a concern about the international competitiveness of the…

In this book, the Committee on Goals 2000 and the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities addresses standards-based reform and the education of students with disabilities, and presents recommendations to states and communities that seek to make these reforms consistent with current policies and practice in special education. The first chapter…

This report presents the National Agenda for Achieving Better Results for Children and Youth with Disabilities as developed by a forum of representatives from major disability advocacy groups, direct service providers, families, related services personnel, researchers, teacher trainers, teachers, and administrators. Section 1 articulates the need…