The purpose of the "Drivers Best Practices Assessment" ("DBPA") is to assist organizations in assessing their current supports and resources for quality use of selected programs or practices. Specifically, organizations can use it to: (1) Identify strengths and opportunities for improvement in their current supports and…

The purpose of the District Capacity Assessment (DCA) Technical Manual is to provide background information on the technical adequacy of the DCA (Ward et al., 2015). This current version draws upon a rich history and background of previous work assessing district capacity. Notably, the current version includes significant modifications from…

As educators are increasingly called on to use data to inform improvement initiatives (and are being held accountable for doing so), there is a corresponding need for program leaders to monitor progress. Program monitoring--the systematic and continual observation and recording of key program aspects--can provide leaders with realistic assessments…

This report illustrates how four high-performing systems--British Columbia (Canada), Hong Kong, Shanghai (China) and Singapore--developed their teacher professional learning. The report and accompanying materials are designed as a resource for teachers, school leaders and policymakers wanting to improve teacher professional learning in their…

Effective principals run effective schools--this much we know. Accurately measuring principal effectiveness, however, has long been an elusive goal for school administrators. In this indispensable book, author James H. Stronge details the steps and resources necessary for designing a comprehensive principal evaluation system that is based on sound…

Across the country, states and districts are designing principal evaluation systems as a means of improving leadership, learning, and school performance. Principal evaluation systems hold potential for supporting leaders' learning and sense of accountability for instructional excellence and student performance. Principal evaluation also is an…

How well does your school support the health and well-being of students and staff members? Explore the answer with this ASCD Action Tool and accompanying online scoring and analysis tool. Updated to reflect current research, new standards, and best practices, the Canadian second edition of the action tool guides you through the four steps of the…

These protocols represent a working guide for planning and implementing national sample assessments in connection with the national Key Performance Measures (KPMs). The protocols are intended for agencies involved in planning or conducting national sample assessments and personnel responsible for administering associated tenders or contracts,…

More than a third of all undergraduate students are 25 or older, and their presence on college and university campuses is growing. However, institutions of higher learning are struggling to meet the needs of, and improve persistence and completion rates for, this significant student population. "Increasing Adult Learner Persistence and…

This compilation of articles from NSDC's newsletters and JSD is a comprehensive resource on creating a positive school culture. The collection includes descriptions of healthy cultures and specific information about how district and school leaders can take actions to create more positive environments, beginning with the audits provided and…

As part of its work to advance the multiple pathways approach to high school education, the James Irvine Foundation engaged the Bridgespan Group to develop a framework for assessing the nature and needs of the fields in which nonprofits operate. These agents of change often struggle to understand how to focus their field-building investments and…

This guide is designed to help districts and schools evaluate reform efforts related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), including School Improvement Grants. It includes practical, how-to tips for conducting program evaluations, whether one takes a "do-it-yourself" approach or seeks outside assistance to evaluate reform…

Provides an evaluation model and outlines steps to take in planning for the evaluation process. Such planning and organizing ensures that the evaluation process is achieved systematically. (IRT)

Based on a decade of evaluation experience, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) has developed the Integrated Evaluation Methods (IEM) Package, a series of conceptual and methodological applications to enhance CSAT-funded evaluation activities. Products in the IEM Package are organized within an evaluation framework constructed on the…

An appropriate job analysis will provide the dimensions on which a selection system can be built, the rationale for each of the assessment center exercises, and the rationales for other components. (Author/IRT)