This report offers state leaders key areas for action to continue progress in implementing evaluation systems, even as federal policies on teacher evaluation relax state requirements. The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) offers its current best thinking for how state agencies can make the smartest use of funds, time and partners to refine…

Background: The philosophical underpinnings of evaluation guidelines set forth by a funding agency can sometimes seem inconsistent with that of the intervention. Purpose: Our purpose is to introduce questions pertaining to the contrast between the instructional program's underlying philosophical beliefs and assumptions and those underlying our…

This article describes the results of a study to determine the books that instructional design and technology professionals believed were most important to the field. Participants in this study were 77 professionals from different areas of the field, including education, business, and government. The purpose of the study was to create a snapshot…

This paper builds on prior work defending innovative information systems programs as ABET-accreditable. A proposal for a four-year degree program in health informatics, initiated at the authors' university to combat enrollment declines and to therefore help information systems to survive and thrive, is described. The program proposal is then…

Recently, Samford University was ranked 27th in the nation in a report released by "Forbes" magazine. In this article, the author relates how the people working at Samford University were surprised at its ranking. Although Samford is the largest privately institution in Alabama, its distinguished academic achievements aren't even…

The economy has school districts in a stranglehold. But there is a way out. Despite beliefs to the contrary, the grant money pot has not dried up. The author's book "Successful Grant Writing for School Leaders: 10 Easy Steps" shares strategies and success stories from some of his own 30 school grants and from school districts small and…

A number of items used in the Alabama Right to Read programs are included in this document. One form is a proclamation to be used by the local education agency (LEA) for a ceremony proclaiming Right to Read Week. The 26 criteria of excellence represent the goal toward which the LEA makes a commitment and are also used as the basis for the content…

Describes a project to develop and implement a system of followup for Alabama's secondary agribusiness education terminees (graduates and dropouts). Describes the objectives of this project, the instrument, and the sample, return, and results of the first Occupational Patterns and Program Assessment Survey (of 1973-74 terminees). (HD)

This document provides 11 extracts from Alabama state law and federal law concerning state implementation of federal public library programs under the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA). These extracts are titled: (1) "Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) State-Administered Program (34 CFR Part 770)"; (2)…

Issues pertinent to evaluation of statewide boards of higher education are considered, and the cases of South Carolina and several other states are covered. Evaluation is seen as a form of accountability. Reasons why better, more formal evaluation of statewide boards will be important to a wide range of constituencies--such as trends toward…

Criteria and procedures are proposed for the review of proposed associate degree or other sub-baccalaureate certificate or degree programs in Alabama's state four-year colleges. Background information, including the approval of an associate degree award for a two-year certificate program at Livingston University, is reviewed. Initially, it was…

Provides data gathered from a survey of English teachers in Alabama revealing the potential use of a list of teacher qualifications as an instrument for individual teachers' self-assessments and for directing teacher education program improvements. (RL)

Post-tenure faculty evaluation policies in all public four-year colleges and universities in Alabama were studied. A total of 420 tenured and nontenured full-time faculty and tenured and nontenured administrators were administered questionnaires. A total of 68.8 percent of administrator respondents revealed that they had written policies to…

This report covers the second year of work by the National Center for Research in Vocational Education in assisting states to increase their ability to evaluate programs and services for special populations. The report also provides information on changes that have occurred in the total evaluation system of the participating states since the start…

A literature search was undertaken to determine the degree of support for the 26 criteria for successful reading programs developed by the Alabama Right-to-Read program. The report includes a brief history of the development of the criteria, a description of the search process, samples of supported criteria, and a discussion of findings. The…