Education Resource Strategies (ERS) works with school and district leaders to help them more strategically use resources--people, time, and money--to improve student performance. They have found that many school districts begin creating small high schools without a clear sense of how much they will spend or how to ensure that small schools…

This report is designed to assist members of a Program Quality Review (PQR) team in: (1) conducting a review of the effects of a high school's curriculum, instructional methodologies, and effectiveness strategies on the students; (2) guiding the development of an action plan; and (3) providing a model for the school's own self-study. The report…

In response to legislative mandate, this report assesses the impact of student charges on access to public postsecondary education and provides policy recommendations. Part I of the report summarizes the state's goals for postsecondary education, reviews past policies for achieving these goals, and outlines future options in a time of financial…

This report asserts that there are inaccuracies in proponents claims that vouchers represent an opportunity for families of color to achieve a more equitable education for their children. Six sections discuss "The Problematic Background of Proposition 38 and Other Voucher Programs" (the racist history of vouchers and the current national…

This publication presents information from an April 1999 meeting of the National Partnership for Excellence and Accountability in Teaching and Learning and the Learning First Alliance, which brought together representatives of schools and districts where outstanding faculty development was underway. This guide presents the story that these…

Explains what educational indicators are and what indicator systems accomplish. Summarizes major educational indicator initiative. Focuses on indicator strategies in California. Discusses several key issues related to indicator development and use. Outlines alternative strategies for making sense of educational indicators. (JS)

Analyzes current teacher education practices in relation to the need for more highly prepared, credentialed teachers for California's schools, discussing: the importance of teaching and teacher education; what matters and works in teacher education; high quality teacher education programs in California; teacher supply and demand; issues facing…

Gaps in early learning are starkly apparent among differing children even before they enter kindergarten. So, a rising number of states are trying to narrow initial achievement disparities by expanding access to quality preschool. At the same time, recent findings show that preschool is not a lasting inoculation: its benefits fade if children move…

To evaluate the adequacy and efficiency of preschool education in California, the RAND Corporation has undertaken the California Preschool Study to improve understanding of achievement gaps in the early elementary grades, the adequacy of preschool education currently given, and what efficiencies or additional resources might be brought to bear in…

This study reports the results of confidential, in-depth interviews with 29 business, education, and community leaders in California to determine their attitudes toward the higher education needs of the state. The interviews examined areas of consensus and controversy in many facets of higher education policy. The most important findings included:…

In an effort to address the problem of developing constructive suggestions for change in teacher education programs, a survey was taken of the member institutions of the California Council on the Education of Teachers, which offered a basic teaching credential. The survey found all institutions used multiple admission criteria; virtually none…

The relationship between the leadership of African-American principals and African-American student academic achievement in more successful African-American elementary schools in California is examined within the 11 chapters of this book. The study attempted to determine how the African-American principals (who had been in their positions at least…

In 1983 California enacted a comprehensive bill containing dozens of education reform provisions (Senate Bill 813). A sample of 17 secondary schools was selected in order to understand if a number of state-level education reform features could be implemented locally. The major study findings listed below are described in greater detail in the…

A study was conducted by the California Association of Community Colleges (CACC) to determine the perceptions of several constituency groups concerning the relative success of California's community colleges. The study sought to identify indicators of institutional success and appropriate measures for each indicator. Surveys conducted at the 1987…

In the past two years, 26 states have established task forces to study issues of quality, mission, efficiency, governance, access, and financial support and arrive at some new solutions. What separate these initiatives from previous ones are their magnitude and scope and the resources used. (MSE)