The federal education act "No Child Left Behind" calls for accountability for school improvement. This brochure outlines how parents can determine the progress of their child's school, and where to go for additional information and/or services. The brochure answers the following questions: (1) How do I know if my child's school is in…

This report provides a brief overview of efforts to establish standards, assess those standards, hold schools and students accountable for meeting the standards, and provide interventions to students who do not meet the standards. It argues that holding students accountable for passing standards' assessments is premature, that teachers should be…

Establishing a solid standards-and-assessment system is only the first step toward the ultimate goal of bringing all students to the standards. But without this first step, all others will fall short. The paper explains the essential role of standards and assessments in improving student achievement and offers solutions to challenges districts…

Discusses factors revealed by educational research that improve student learning and over which administrators and trustees have some control: school atmosphere and instructional time. Offers 14 steps for implementing research findings into educational innovations. (NEC)

Discusses how America can improve its educational system and student performance by creating equitable opportunities for all children to learn challenging curricula. Three problems are addressed: confronting entrenched beliefs, practices and policies; dealing with educational tracking; and working towards common rigorous standards combined with…

Contends that systemic reform is required to improve student achievement. Describes 10 system-building standards from the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE): the educational environment, governance and policy issues, preservice and inservice education, teaching practices, assessment practices, personnel and curricular materials…

Describes how a small, innovative Australian teacher education faculty introduces its students to a lifelong habit of critical reflection on professional practice. The program hopes to create students with a deeper understanding of what schools are like, constraints against change, and working within schools to facilitate change. (SM)

Examines the charter school approach in educational reform, discusses where it needs improvement and what state policy action may be needed in start-up, and presents some key recommendations. The nature of charter schools, their general purpose, composition, benefits, and problems also are examined. (GR)

To raise the achievement of every student in the state, Maryland implemented "Achievement Matters Most," a new plan for public elementary and secondary schools that sets goals in the areas of achievement, teaching, testing, safety, and family involvement in schools. This guide for parents outlines the goals and characteristics of the…

The Hearing before the Committee on Education and the Workforce was held May 20, 1999. The hearing lists statements by educators, elected officials, and the Colorado Commissioner of Education on the Academic Achievement for All proposal, the Straight A's proposal. This proposal gives states a choice: they can either continue operating federal…

This paper evaluates whether or not there is a direct academic-achievement benefit from additional expenditures on education in the United States. Numerous critics have said that education is already overfunded and that it can never be funded enough to make any appreciable difference. Berliner's study of 900 school districts in Texas in the 1993…

The thesis of this paper is that when a reform is initiated in the public schools, it is vitally important to understand the interplay between the culture of the specific reform model used and the school and classroom cultures. The paper reviews the literature covering many facets of school and classroom culture--including literature on school…

Discusses the importance of teacher development in achieving fundamental school change, and argues that such change occurs best when teachers collaborate to raise student achievement levels. The article provides an account of the frustrations and successes of teachers in a Rhode Island reform effort. (GR)

Discusses the use of electronic communication networks in education to foster literacy development and considers how innovations are introduced and accepted. Describes electronic communication networks in a college classroom used on a local area network to improve students' abilities to write, read, and engage in collaborative problem solving…

Teacher and administrator responses to the Connecticut School Interview, conducted as part of the Spencerport (New York) More Effective Schools/Teaching Project, indicated (1) that there are a number of correlates which can be considered areas of strength and (2) that steady improvement has occurred in installing correlates in each building and in…