The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was signed into law in 2001, fueled by bipartisan concern about the standardized test scores of U.S. students in comparison with their international cohort and dissatisfaction with gaps in achievement between certain student groups--low income, English-language learners, special education, and students of…

President Obama has embraced an audacious ambition--to renew America's status as the world leader in college attainment. That goal is daunting, and it leads many people to conclude that they should focus federal investments on four-year colleges. If individuals want to realize the president's goal, that would be a terrible mistake. Located in…

Federal policy directed to teaching and teachers is the subject of this review, which is organized around: (1) recruitment; (2) training; (3) accountability; (4) incentives; (5) qualifications; (6) class size reduction; (teacher working conditions; and (8) human resource management and the overall coordination of teacher policy. For each theme,…

Most of the nation's eighth graders aspire to college. Unfortunately, the vast majority of them will not realize their ambition to complete their higher education and gain some advantage in the job market. In this article, the author contends that the connections between high schools and higher-education institutions are still not what they should…

State-mandated systems of comprehensive examinations to be taken prior to high school graduation would focus the attention of students in high school, motivate them to higher levels of performance, provide guidance to teachers as to the appropriate material to be covered, and reduce antieducational pressures within peer groups, all of whose…

Focuses on top-down administered accountability systems designed to drive the system toward higher student achievement. Warns that school-based accountability systems should be used with caution: using individual schools as the primary unit of accountability can create negative incentives for teachers and principals to avoid schools with…

In the debate on U.S. public education, there is one thing that every agrees is vital: great teaching. It is essential that teaching be improved, and it is necessary to change the way teachers are recruited and trained, and the way they are paid. Teachers must be paid more, and a pay system must be developed that rewards teachers not just for…

The issues of accountability and responsibility in, and faculty attitudes toward, college presidency are discussed as they relate to evaluation of presidents. It is concluded that the challenges will not change greatly in the near future but that relevant and equitable evaluation will be very important. (MSE)

This document answers the questions Kentuckians asked Governor Wallace G. Wilkinson (Kentucky) about his proposals for educational reform. Governor Wilkinson claims that the traditional school structure leaves the educational needs of many children unmet because it is not flexible enough to meet their different learning needs. The Governor…

Discussion of collection assessment focuses on academic library experiences. Topics addressed include library accountability; funding shortages; barriers to collection assessment; strategies to aid in assessment, including adequate training and performance incentives; and implications of collection assessment for library budgets, including…

Defines four essential elements of a system of educational standards: (1) common, rigorous student achievement standards; (2) state-administered assessments; (3) explicit rewards for achievement; and (4) opportunity to reach the standards. Practices to ensure these conditions and enact a system based on these elements are discussed. (SLD)

The feasibility of using contracts rather than grants to fund higher education institutions in Australia is examined. The theoretical basis, nature of the contractual relationship, and likely effects of such a policy are discussed. Conditions necessary for success in achieving government objectives and maintaining university autonomy are…

This paper discusses the benefits and problems of tenure at higher education institutions in light of criticisms of a lack of faculty accountability and productivity. It examines the effects of contract versus tenure systems on faculty motivation, and argues that it is not the security of tenure that reduces faculty motivation and hence…

Since 1946, four major efforts to improve educational outcomes through shifts in governance have occurred in North Carolina. The 1989 reforms were characterized by an increase in rhetoric about local control and initiatives, teacher involvement, and school-based management. This paper surveys the last 50 years of educational reform policy in North…

Recommendations that would improve the quality of undergraduate education and that impinge on the budget at the state and institutional levels are examined. The current role of the budget in promoting student learning and development and how budget policies can be changed to foster higher quality learning are discussed. (MLW)