Boosting literacy among school-age children remains a national priority. Nearly one third of students in the United States have not developed the foundational reading skills needed to succeed academically, with students living in poverty, students with disabilities, and English learners especially at risk. Starting in 2010, Congress invested more…

Large-scale performance assessment programs are a longstanding reform tool. However, standard setting can be a challenge for assessment programs that use primarily non-standardized assessments. The purpose of this paper is to extend this field of research by explaining the standard setting methodology applied to one more recent instantiation of a…

Spurred by the federal Race to the Top competition, the state of Tennessee implemented a comprehensive statewide educator evaluation system in 2011. The new system is designed to increase the rigor of evaluations and better differentiate teachers based on performance. The use of more differentiated ratings represents a significant shift in…

No Child Left Behind has become a permanent fixture in the world of education. This paper seeks to use the construct of figured worlds as described by Holland, Skinner, Lachicotte, & Cain, (1998) to examine the ways policy makers and teachers navigate the world of literacy education. Viewing policy makers and teachers as participants in…

The full texts of all prepared statements and supplemental materials presented during three days of hearings (second session) held on H.R. 11023 are contained in this document. Statements are made by (1) State coordinators of career education, (2) program directors, teachers, and representatives from State universities and local schools, and (3)…

A 3-day conference was held to generate the goals for Adult Basic Education (ABE) in Texas for the remainder of the decade, to examine barriers to and bridges for accomplishing these goals, and to propose strategies for implementing these goals. During the conference, 19 participants (including directors, supervisors, teachers, university faculty…

The report examines the problems and promises of the new federal education laws for the handicapped (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act) as implemented in New York state. An introductory section explains the tenets of the laws, including requirements for program…

This paper examines the responses of four high schools to new accountability policies in two states, New York and Vermont. In each state, one school that was better positioned with respect to the policy and one that was a target of the policy were studied. New York's policy attaches high stakes for students though the Regents high school exit…

A synthesis of 17 studies concerning Oklahoma legislation for the beginning teacher induction year program covers: (1) the concerns and perceptions of entry year teachers; (2) roles and functions of teacher consultants, local district administrators, and higher education representatives; and (3) the frequency and nature of the processes and…

The impact of the new Virginia statewide Standards of Learning (SOL) testing program on classroom instructional and assessment practices was studied through surveys before and after implementation of the testing program. The sample represented responses from 570 secondary school teachers (of mathematics, social studies, English, and science) and…

School districts, like many other societal groups, function as a system--a dynamically complex web of interaction in which each aspect of the district affects all other aspects. School districts have many outside forces to which they must respond, including state and federal mandates. These mandates impose top-down initiatives with little to no…

Argues for statewide collective bargaining on teacher salaries as a way of promoting equity among teachers. The factors opposing such a program are discussed. (IRT)

The influence of state-mandated tests on thoughts and actions of three middle school or junior high school literature teachers was studied. Case studies indicated that the changes that tests caused in teacher thinking were a function of teachers' preferred approach to teaching literature and their place in curricular decision making. (SLD)

This publication contains abstracts of research projects in vocational education conducted in Pennsylvania. The directory also lists the research, exemplary, and curriculum activities which were conducted during the 1979-80 fiscal year. All projects listed were supported with federal vocational funds under Public Law 94-482. Information contained…

This report reviews the opinions of the National Education Association (NEA) and the approaches taken by and concerns of employee associations that are state affiliates of the NEA. The NEA supports the concept of charters if appropriate standards are upheld and appropriate practices are enforced. The energy and enthusiasm being brought to the…