One of the principal obstacles to equalizing educational opportunities in the public schools has been the difficulty in achieving consensus among educational leaders on what is meant by "equal educational opportunity". This shortcoming is critical because how one defines equality determines and shapes the approaches used to attack the problems…

The primary objective of this report, one of five reports under a project to develop a multi-State consortium, is to provide a collection of information concerning the activities and actions resulting from efforts to form a consortium. Materials presented are the results of actions of representatives of States invited to participate in a…

The State Board of Education and the Michigan Department of Education are about to publish letter grades for each of the state's 4,015 public elementary, middle and high schools. These grades are part of "Education Yes!", Michigan's new school accreditation system. The familiar ABCD/F grades of their youth will provide parents and the…

This publication summarizes the main conclusions of a national survey of 925 public school principals and 1,006 superintendents. The survey was intended to bring about a better understanding of the day-to-day realities school leaders face. The survey asked the principals and superintendents about their priorities, most pressing problems, and…

The responsibility for the academic success of our nation's children historically has been shouldered by the school principal. In many school communities today, that accountability has been mandated by state law. The Indiana equivalent of the accountability movement sweeping the nation is Public Law 221 (P.L. 221), which makes the principal solely…

This report expands and updates the information provided in the "National Assessment of Title I Interim Report" that was released in April 2006. New data on the implementation of Title I are provided on the targeting and uses of Title I funds, services for private school students, characteristics of students participating in the school…

This two-volume report, and Summary of Key Findings, presents findings from the congressionally mandated National Assessment of Title I on the implementation and impact of the program. Volume I contains key findings on the implementation of the program under No Child Left Behind, and Volume II [see ED499018] presents a report on follow-up findings…

Ontario's 24 colleges drive economic growth and social prosperity in the province. Rapidly evolving technologies continue to change the nature of work in every industry sector and the requirements placed on workers at every level. As a result, Ontario must increasingly rely on a workforce with the skills and education to translate change into…

Although students have been taking the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Science test for a few years, the State has only recently set the achievement-level standards for the Science test. Science will be included in the school grade calculations for the first time in 2006-07. In addition, although no official guidelines exist…

This booklet explains New Zealand's National Qualifications Framework, a system of quality standards affecting high schools and postsecondary colleges and universities that is to be fully operational by 1996. Following an introduction, the first section explains why the current system urgently needs changing in order to equip workers for the…

Rather than providing an anthology of tests and assessment techniques, this book focuses on academic success and its maintenance and the role of testing. The discussion opens with a consideration of the relationship between assessment and curriculum. It is important to consider carefully what it is we want to teach, and it is equally important to…

This publication is the fourth issue of a report required by the North Carolina School Improvement and Accountability Act. It presents information that is related primarily to the outcomes of education based on student achievement with the intention of giving policy makers and decision makers the information needed to improve achievement. It…

This bibliography provides a recommended list of research and theoretical literature in school restructuring. The literature, chosen to be of interest for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers, is organized into five areas: (1) General References on School Restructuring is divided into proposals for school reform, how schools work, and the…

In the 1980s and 1990s important demographic, economic, and social changes will affect the nation's schools, families, and workplaces. In anticipation of these developments, there is renewed interest in formal educational attainment and basic academic skills. A concerted national effort to address the current crisis in basic skills development…

This report represents the efforts of a commission of 20 citizens who were directed by the Illinois General Assembly to identify the principal problems in Illinois' elementary and secondary schools and to recommend specific actions for improving the State's educational program. The commission concluded that student learning should be the foremost…