The voucher "air war" is a conflict between two longstanding elements of the American political tradition: a time-honored commitment to maximum personal choice and individual freedom versus an equally compelling belief in need for a common civil infrastructure and communitarian interests. Will embracing vouchers further erode the public…

This article presents initial findings related to the psychometric issues and current state policies and practices for out-of-level testing of students with disabilities. Findings indicate 12 states have out-of- level testing policies and states are evenly distributed among those that use criterion-referenced tests, norm-referenced tests, or a…

This article argues that, with all of its language about reaching "100% proficiency for all students in twelve years" as an "ambitious, but achievable" goal, the current federal administration seems to be on the side of the children in its No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), but further investigation reveals that many of the…

In the USA, many of the recent education reforms have been implemented in response to calls from neo-liberal and conservative policy makers to improve education efficiency and reduce public expenditures within an increasingly globalized economy. Consequently, local, state, and federal education policies increasingly employ curricular standards and…

The responsibility for the academic success of our nation's children historically has been shouldered by the school principal. In many school communities today, that accountability has been mandated by state law. The Indiana equivalent of the accountability movement sweeping the nation is Public Law 221 (P.L. 221), which makes the principal solely…

This article examines American and Australian school principals' fundamental values regarding the purpose of schools. It also illustrates their views on school reform and the role of the principal in reform, and compares their visions of the purpose of schools--the ideal schools in the 21st century. Data reveal that the majority of American and…

The No Child Left Behind Act has brought great attention to the high school graduation rate as one of the mandatory accountability measures for public school systems. However, there is no consensus on how to calculate the high school graduation rate given the lack of longitudinal databases that track individual students. This study reviews…

As the World Wide Web becomes an integral part of higher education, universities must determine the viability of using the Internet for their student evaluation systems. This chapter highlights important online-student-rating issues raised in this volume and in other research through a case study of Murdoch University's (Perth, Australia) online…

In pursuit of creating a culture that would contribute to the successful learning outcomes envisioned by the superintendent of the Beaufort County, South Carolina, School District, the author returned to her roots and experiences in organizational development. She discovered an article about McBassi and Co., an agency specializing in the…

Recent issues in this journal and other prominent distance-learning journals have established the need for administrators to be informed and prepared with strategic plans equal to foreseeable challenges. This article provides decision makers with 32 trends that affect distance learning and thus enable them to plan accordingly. The trends are…

This is a collection of essays that originally appeared in the 1970-71 issues of "The School Administrator." All are concerned with the general topic of politics and education, and each was prepared by a recognized scholar. Each essay focuses on a set of critical questions and issues around which national policy evolves. The series is intended to…

An overview of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) of Princeton, NJ is presented. A New York State legislature truth-in-testing bill now requires: reporting of student scores and access to answer sheets, publishing of questions used, reporting on test research, and assurances of confidentiality. Implications for ETS are discussed. (MLW)

Discusses the linkage of quality with accountability in professional development programs in Australia, with specific reference to the effect on second-language teachers. The article notes that, since the introduction of the Statements and Profiles, the Australian government has stressed the need for cooperation between the various sectors…

Studies of the degree of involvement (DOI) and its relationship to therapeutic intervention effectiveness and related services for young children with cerebral palsy were reviewed. Three dimensions of DOI: (1) brain damage and mental retardation, (2) functional motor ability, and (3) emotional disturbance and behavior problems were reviewed. The…

Critiques the Bush Administration's "America 2000" education initiative, in particular the call for national testing as a major tool for student assessment and education reform. Discusses the difficulty of designing accurate instruments, the drain on resources for other needs, and the ineffectiveness of testing as an agent for reform.…