This chapter is designed to acquaint the reader with the context for accreditors' increased emphasis on student learning outcomes as a key indicator of institutional quality and on the use of learning assessment as a key strategy for guiding institutional improvement. It articulates accreditors' expectations for the presentation of evidence that…

This article discusses how literacy leadership is used to improve the achievement of struggling students. Literacy leadership begins with principals believing, knowing, and deliberately doing certain things. In reflecting on the experience of developing, implementing, and evaluating a successful literacy intervention, it is clear that literacy…

This article discusses how Roland G. Tharp and his colleagues from the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, & Excellence, a federal research center at the University of California, identify methods to help "nonmainstream" pupils make academic gains. Tharp has identified five standards that he says mark effective instruction…

The 285 adult schools in California enrolled 1,206,864 adult learners supported through state apportionment funds in program year 2006-07. This report presents the results of data collected by the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems (CASAS) from all learners enrolled in California adult schools. The report analysis was prepared by…

The focus of this brief is student success: To what extent can the accreditation process drive significant improvement in student persistence and completion at institutions that undergo the peer review process, particularly for students from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education? Because this inquiry is in service to Achieving…

A permutation of the original program, TeamSI represents an ambitious attempt to improve both students' deep understanding of their knowledge in a professional discipline and their self-development as more mature learners and leaders.

This article details a 5-year evolution of a middle school mathematics faculty serving predominantly economically at-risk students. Faculty members worked to improve students' mathematics test scores, used a scripted curriculum, and integrated National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards-based activities. Schools nationwide are…

Described in this report is a plan to improve public education in Houston, Texas. Specifically discussed are program components relevant to students; parents, business, and the community; and educational staff. Student components of the plan focus on achievement objectives, minimum competency testing, standards, proficiencies, extended educational…

The development of processes for considering student achievement data in the evaluation of teaching is discussed. As an alternative to the inappropriate and indefensible use of standardized test scores, the project on Expected Student Achievement (ESA) of the Kentucky Career Ladder Commission considered a management by objectives, or goal setting…

The purpose of this report was to examine the progress of 60 local school districts toward attaining the goals of Missouri's Career Ladder Program. The goals were identified as teacher retention, teacher responsibility, professional growth, teacher sharing, teacher collaboration, and student enhancement. The assessment documents of 58 ladder…

This report presents the highlights of a conference held to critically examine the state of education in America and to set goals for the future of education in America. Those participating in the conference included public and private school teachers and administrators, college teachers and administrators, college students, parents, state…

Controlled composition--a method closely related to sentence combining--can be beneficial for college students whose writing is characterized by frequent errors and lack of fluency. Controlled composition consists of copying short, competently written compositions exactly except for certain stipulated changes. The assignments, which progress in…

Between 1975 and 1977 an instructional research team and a Teacher Corps Project at Hopkinsville Middle School in Kentucky began the development of an inservice teacher education program designed to combine the experience of inservice teachers with the knowledge of university faculty. This report contains samples of the results of this type of…

The purposes of this study were to investigate whether a listening improvement program developed for business and industry would be successful in improving the listening skills of college students and whether a listening improvement program designed primarily for speakers of standard English would be successful with speakers of nonstandard…

The major objectives of the 3-year Claymont Behavior Modification Project, which involved 11 teachers and 270 students, were to: a) train teachers in operant procedures for use in an uncontrived natural setting; b) accelerate student academic performances, with a special view to achieving one year's academic growth in one chronological year for…