This paper examines the educational impacts of the Berkshire Wireless Learning Initiative (BWLI), a pilot program that provided 1:1 technology access to all students and teachers across five public and private middle schools in western Massachusetts. Using a pre/post comparative study design, the current study explores a wide range of program…

The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of recent educational reform efforts in Washington State and to determine what educators believe to be the most important future areas of focus. In particular, the researchers wanted to determine whether school-wide improvement efforts (i.e. School Improvement Plans (SIPs), School Improvement…

School reform is achieved through the collaboration and coordination among educators with the mutual goal of improved learning for all students. Given the complexity within and among educational systems, the need to develop and implement a common framework of school reform based upon mutually agreed-upon goals, standards, outcomes, and…

This report follows closely on the footsteps of the previous 7 editions published by American Legislative Exchange Council in presenting the basic facts about public elementary and secondary education in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report contains more than 90 tables and 25 figures that display, in various ways, more than 100…

This paper describes the introduction of a problem-based learning program in a new doctoral program at the University of Texas--Pan American in 1998. Students were assigned the problem of studying the implementation of a two-way bilingual education in their Educational Leadership Laboratory and making recommendations regarding the use of one or…

Describes the stages and elements of the educational engineering process; how it can improve the school as it is experienced by the students, and what school officials must do in order to make use of it. (JM)

Discusses what constitutes higher education standards and suggests that the standards debate should focus on defining educational goals and examining the consequences of implementing them. Some standards characteristics are examined, including specific, publicized, rigorous, high-stakes, inclusive, and measurable standards. Standards in relation…

Describes Holy Family College's (London) relationship with Waltham Forest's African Caribbean Attainment Project designed to identify and assess the needs of Caribbean students of African heritage and to raise their academic achievement. How the secondary school maximized the benefits of this partnership are highlighted. (GR)

Researchers studied the impact of the Madeline Hunter school improvement approach, following students of teachers who had or had not completed development workshops and received coaching and feedback. There were significant teacher-perceived gains in implementation; student achievement scores rose but were not solely attributable to the Hunter…

Critiques school reform evaluation and common misconceptions about it. The article warns against using evaluation to sort students in ways that hinder them from gaining quality education or force teachers into implementing school changes that are unresponsive to students' learning problems. Study findings involving school improvement efforts are…

Most schools and districts have created an artificial distinction between working and learning. They operate in a way that suggests teachers work (teach) 180 or so days a year and learn (attend programs) on four or five days each year set aside for professional development. The author states that school leaders must end this distinction between…

Background: Even though action research has been employed in an increasing number of fields of practice including teaching, nursing, and business, application in learning has been scarcely reported. This case study is one of the first attempts to apply action research principles to help learners improve their learning performance. Purpose: This…

California policy makers and institutional leaders are making critical policy, programmatic, and budgetary decisions affecting segments of the state's population that lack sufficient levels of formal training and education. These decisions are occurring at a time when five critical trends are converging in the state. These trends are: (1)…

The impetus for North Carolina's Senate Bill 2, the 1989 Flexibility and Accountability Statute, came partly out of the philosophy that restructuring should reach up from the school and not down from the state. The statute offers local school systems the flexibility to develop local plans to improve student achievement through waivers of certain…

Literacy instruction does not end with reading success in early grades. As students move to middle and high school, new challenges emerge that can affect literacy achievement. Even for students who achieve early reading and writing success, the literacy demands of middle and high school can pose substantial challenges. Older students must be able…