An eight-step organizational approach to the problem of identifying, remediating, and, if necessary, dismissing incompetent teachers is described. Addressed to school superintendents, the eight steps are as follows: (1) establish "excellence in teaching" as a high priority for the district, (2) adopt and publish reasonable criteria for evaluating…

An evaluative approach for assessing the performance of administrators is presented. The process includes a peer and client review process, traditional review by superiors, and some aspects of management by objectives (MBO). Nine steps for implementing the evaluation program are outlined. A flow chart explaining traditional (superior-subordinate)…

The forms of university-industry relationships, the advantages to the various parties involved, and the potential conflicts and tensions are outlined. Some guidelines for finding solutions and new modes of interaction are suggested. (MSE)

This research brief uses data collected by the Center for Policy Research on the Impact of General and Special Education Reform to highlight issues surrounding the inclusion and exclusion of students with disabilities in state accountability systems. The brief discusses the background of standards-based reform, traditional general education…

This paper helps community partners envision a system of community schools and understand the changes needed to make it a reality. Information in the paper is adapted from a study by the Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago and the Center for Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington. The study…

The results from high-stakes assessments have often been used to merely grade and rank schools and students. But a new trend is emerging, according to this brief. Educators are beginning to see the power of using assessment data to improve instruction. This brief discusses ways to use data to improve instruction at the school, classroom, and…

This comprehensive reference document incorporates the 1997 Master Plan Policies updated and amended with policies adopted by the Illinois Board of Higher Education since the 1997 edition. As a compilation, it includes relevant sections of the comprehensive master plans of the 1960s and 1970s and issue-related policies developed in the 1980s and…

This guide provides information about the assessment and inclusion of all students in statewide and district assessment programs. In particular, it focuses on tactics for including students with disabilities in assessment to achieve a more complete picture of student learning and educational accountability. It is designed to help Wisconsin…

This guide is a combination of very up-to-date English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) standards and curricula text and a radical, community organization and action guidebook. The guide's aim is to help people learn English so that they can participate actively in American democracy and to assert their rights and extract a larger share of power and…

This bulletin provides guidelines to Missouri educators concerning inclusion of students with disabilities in state and district-wide assessments of school achievement as required under Missouri's Outstanding Schools Act and the reauthorization of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997. It stresses the greater focus on…

Briefly outlines five ways to ensure accountability: scrutinize student achievement, conduct surveys of teacher and community attitudes toward district performance, carefully review how funds are spent, ask administrators to look closely at programs, and evaluate administrators and teachers regularly. (Author/JM)

An NSF study suggests that important qualitative changes in the faculty may be obtained through increased attention to mid-career change and early retirement programs. Interest in career options, early retirement alternatives, evaluation criteria, mid-career change alternatives, internship, fellowship programs, and retraining programs are…

In addition to teaching vocational technical skills, vocational educators must stress a high level of work adjustment skills. The author discusses the present condition of vocational education, determining needs of industry and of students, the importance of vocational guidance, and the responsibility of both industry and education. (MF)

A study of five high-poverty districts making strides in improving student achievement revealed that these districts focused on systemwide strategies including new approaches to professional development; making decisions based on data, not instinct; and redefining leadership roles. (MLF)

Discusses data warehousing, which provides information more fully responsive to local, state, and federal data needs. Such a system allows educators to generate reports and analyses that supply information, provide accountability, explore relationships among different kinds of data, and inform decision-makers. (Contains one figure and eight…