Small rural schools have always had an important place in the educational life of New Zealand, but they have faced a number of challenges in the past decade. These challenges include difficulty in attracting and retaining high quality teachers, changing expectations of parents, decreasing rural population, and the impact of national educational…

This report takes stock of the present Title I program, identifies the most promising approaches to educating the nation's disadvantaged children, and offers guidance to policymakers seeking to improve Title I's effectiveness. The report draws upon hundreds of studies, evaluations, and other documents, and details the evolution of the Title I…

This study focuses on the work of state administrators of federal programs. It follows up on baseline information collected during late fall 1996 and early winter 1997, analyzing the ways in which state administrators have continued to respond to the new laws. The programs included in the follow-up study are as follows: the Goals 2000: Educate…

The transition of the Czech school system from a centralized system to one where schools enjoy greater autonomy has not been smooth. Educators and administrators need to learn new skills in interacting with parents, community, and each other in an educational system that is becoming more decentralized. Several surveys were conducted to…

Outlines a framework for shaping reform policies on strategies for enhancing teacher capacity, using interview data from a study conducted in California, Michigan, and Vermont. Michigan has developed subject-matter objectives and assessments, Vermont uses a portfolio assessment system to help teachers learn about problem solving and develop new…

Japanese school management should consider more broad-based, active participation in school board policymaking and should democratize school board-school relationships by adopting the lay-control principle. Both U.S. and Japanese schools should improve the exercise of appropriate administrator leadership. Japanese schools are evaluated on a…

Investigates the role of Boards of Governors in the governance of local high schools in Papua New Guinea. Offers lessons for those who are intending to introduce school governance at the individual institution level. Asserts that training is required for principals and board members to strengthen the boards' effectiveness. (19 citations) (VWC)

Leaders bring to new jobs their values and vision, the authority of their position, and their reputation and accomplishments. How new superintendents conduct themselves during the critical entry/"honeymoon" phase affects their subsequent working relationships and leadership effectiveness. Structured interviews with staff, parents, and…

Virtually all writings about "Methodist involvement" in state-provided English education use Wesleyan material. It is the most accessible and it is complete: every year there is a report from the Wesleyan Education Committee to the Conference. Official information on the attitudes of the other British Methodist churches to elementary…

This multi-year study reports on results for New York City Charter Schools through the 2005-2006 school year. As independent entities within the public sector, charter schools vary in their policies and practices. Policies that are unusual in traditional public schools but fairly common among New York City's charter schools include long school…

Although the Task Force on School Governance report claims that restructuring of school boards is essential to save the nation's failing schools, the real failure is society itself. Societal problems such as the nation's $4 trillion debt, air and water pollution, crime, drug abuse, and special interest lobbies abound, and legislators'…

In 1980, the New York City Board of Education set reading standards that fourth- and seventh-grade students were required to achieve before being promoted. The Gates Program was established to provide remedial education to those students failing to meet the standards. A total of 15,705 students in the two grades failed to meet the standards in…

This study was conducted to learn whether the benefits of early childhood education would be sufficient to cause the State of Illinois to either support or require the provision of such services. Primary attention is given to: (1) the education of non-handicapped children between birth and entrance into first grade, and (2) those programs and…

This paper describes the development of standardized evaluation procedures for Pasco County's inservice teacher education. Since 1983, legislation requires teacher education centers in Florida to report attainment data based on measurable objectives. Using a classification system adapted from the "Rand Change Agent Study," directors and…

This document presents the strategic plan of the North Dakota University System, revised in November 2005, to develop a common vision and clear set of expectations for higher education in North Dakota. The strategic plan for the University System is directly linked to the Roundtable on Higher Education plan. This document presents the ten sections…