Describes student-performance data-analysis system developed by the Hueneme School District in Port Hueneme, California, to meet state and federal accountability requirements. Tracks student-achievement data from four measures into database: Districtwide assessment, report cards, SAT-9 results, a California achievement test, and comprehensive…

Corporate America is changing the shape of school-business partnership. Offers tips to board members on how to open the door to two-way partnerships with the business community. Summarizes a number of existing programs and describes a proposed computerized information system--"Wordlink"--that reports student achievements to employers. (MLF)

Some districts consider traditional teacher evaluation systems ineffective. Mentor teachers in Columbus, Ohio, pinpoint colleagues' weaknesses, sometimes recommending their dismissal. In Rochester, New York, parents rate their children's teachers. In Anchorage, Alaska, both students and parents are involved in evaluating teachers. The nation's…

Board members and superintendents should know their state's laws regarding fund balances. Some states prohibit accumulation of fund balances and return unspent district revenues to state coffers. Most allow a limited fund balance to accumulate. Districts that overaccumulate are undermining state efforts to create educational equity. Tips are…

Sacramento schools achieved a turnaround in three years, after a new board reassigned inept administrators and devised a High Standards, Great Results Program comprised of the Puzzle (core achievement beliefs, community/parent support, and participative management) and Vital Signs (goals for readiness, attendance, literacy, and graduation rates).…

While his responsibilities are growing rapidly, the superintendent's authority is shrinking. The board must tell its superintendent exactly what it is he or she is to be accountable for. (Author/WM)

Public schools that contract with someone outside to offer an instructional program need to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to potential providers. This document details the type of service desired and invites individuals or companies to submit bids or proposals for consideration. Explains the key components of an RFP. (MLF)

Customer satisfaction as applied to schools assumes that no single change or reform will fix the schools forever; school districts must embrace a process of continuous improvement to respond to changing customer demands. This article describes one suburban California district's new strategic planning process: inviting customers to shape the…

Data on the testing practices of 14 of the largest school districts in America indicate how schools inflate their test scores by excluding low-achieving students. Exclusion makes comparison among school districts and states virtually impossible. For children who are excluded, being left out of tests starts a cycle of bad education that ultimately…

Outcome-based education (OBE) is a comprehensive approach to focusing, defining, and organizing all aspects of a school system around clear demonstrations of learning. Responds to issues opposition groups raise about OBE and describes a meeting of OBE supporters and opponents that yielded an agreement to seek common ground. (MLF)

New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's recent private-school voucher proposal has strained his close collaboration with Chancellor Rudolf F. Crew. Shackled by its immensity and complexity, the system has too many failing schools and students. Higher Regents standards, disappearing principal tenure, and lagging school repairs may further erode public…

The Northwest Evaluation Association helped an Indiana school district develop a computerized adaptive testing system that was aligned with its curriculum and geared toward measuring individual student growth. Now the district can obtain such information from semester to semester and year to year, get immediate results, and test students on…

School board members have a desire to be on top of the issues, except in communicating with the community. Board members can discuss with the community school policies that define values. (MLF)

Describes five major developments that are changing the way schools are funded: Linking finance to achievement; changing demographics, such as fewer households with school-age children; teacher shortages, especially for certain fields and certain locations; funding technology; and school choice. (PKP)

School leaders are developing a "just-in-time" approach to research and data analysis to help inform and shape their decisions. Careful analysis of data can reveal patterns that can be improved. The key is to focus districts' research and analysis on the issues that will make the biggest difference in terms of student, teacher, and…