This guide is designed for use by school, district, and state education agency staff to improve the effectiveness of efforts to collect and use discipline data, including reporting accurate and timely data to the federal government. It explains the importance of collecting discipline data, identifies key considerations for agencies implementing…

The work of the National Forum on Education Statistics (Forum) is a key aspect of the National Cooperative Education Statistics System (Cooperative System). The Cooperative System was established to produce and maintain, with the cooperation of the states, comparable and uniform education information and data that are useful for policymaking at…

The report contains real-world, proven school climate strategies to guide policymakers in building a comprehensive and coherent state-wide approach for improving school climate. It features 12 recommendations linked to existing state policy examples policymakers can use to build a comprehensive, coherent state-wide approach for improving school…

State educational accountability models are in transition. Whether modifying the present accountability system to comply with existing state and federal requirements or anticipating new ones--such as the U.S. Department of Education's (ED) Race to the Top competition--recording the experiences of state education agencies (SEAs) that are currently…

The leadership, management, and academic concerns of deans and provosts are addressed in this casebook based on 25 original case studies on issues related to finance, personnel, organizational structure, curriculum, and academic freedom and standards. Two or more practical options for action accompany each presentation of a challenging problem.…

The professional development and accountability of new staff are discussed, and the University of New South Wales' department-based plan for new staff development is described. The program involves planning sessions and record keeping of responsibilities, achievements, needs for professional development, and the resources provided to assist staff.…

Considers how departments of English can evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum and teaching throughout the entire program. Outlines the way that the joint English department at the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University developed a full-scale assessment program for the undergraduate major. (HB)

A guide for institutional self-study is presented that covers departmental and programmatic or specialized self-study and accreditation. The guide is intended as a handbook for participants in self-study processes, as a basic reference for administrators on processes and uses of self-study, and as a reader-manual for workshops on self-study and…

The Louisiana Round Table of Program Evaluators was organized in 1980 among educational evaluators from large parish school systems and the State Department of Education to discuss topics of mutual concern. Since its inception the group has been instrumental in the development and implementation of various workshops directed toward the improvement…

This guide for college faculty attempts to balance assessment theory and practical advice on grading. Grading is viewed as a complex process that serves multiple roles: evaluation, motivation, communication, and organization, and this work provides examples from classrooms in many disciplines, sample assessment plans for departments and general…

At McGill University (Canada), rather than implement a costly, high-tech contingency and disaster recovery plan for information services, planners focused on risk assessment and avoidance for central and departmental information systems. Actions included better backups, less dependence on key individuals, and an institutional awareness campaign.…

Of the 48 members of the Commonwealth, 28 have a population of under 2 million. This handbook is intended for senior personnel in ministries of education in small states, including those with responsibility for the management of personnel, finance, and physical resources. Major themes related to educational administration in small states are…

College internship programs in a political science curriculum are discussed. After considering the perspectives of the university, students, faculty, and the government agency that serves as the learning site, a description is given of college internship programs that illustrate a variety of approaches at the following institutions: University of…

The aim of this guide is to help state education agencies (SEAs) find effective ways to improve relations between schools and their communities. Focusing particularly on the Northeast and New England, the document reviews literature on school-community relations and presents numerous examples of school-community interaction. First, the author…

This guide is intended for college and university administrators responsible for designing and implementing a model for assessment of student outcomes and institutional effectiveness. The first chapter explains use of the handbook and introduces the institutional effectiveness paradigm on which it is based. The second chapter explains the model…