This publication describes Venture Capital grants, which are awarded to Ohio schools for school-improvement efforts. Originating in the business sector, the concept of Venture Capital represented corporate earning or individual savings invested in a new or fresh enterprise. The grants are designed to be long-term, evolving efforts focused on a…

This guide is designed to provide basic guidelines and points of reference for participation in discussions on policies and practices related to the inclusion of students with disabilities in large-scale assessment programs. The results of a survey of statewide assessment programs are discussed, including findings that very few states currently…

Students with disabilities have been excluded to an unreasonable extent from large-scale assessment programs at the national, state, and local levels. One implication of this exclusion practice is that students who are left out of assessments tend not to be considered during reform efforts. Another implication is that estimates of performance are…

The Illinois Quality School Index (IQSI) is a school survey designed to assist local school personnel in planning for more effective schools. The IQSI provides a structure to determine the existing quality and the expected quality of the school as viewed by administration, staff, parents, and community. This manual is a detailed guide for using…

This research brief uses data collected by the Center for Policy Research on the Impact of General and Special Education Reform to highlight issues surrounding the inclusion and exclusion of students with disabilities in state accountability systems. The brief discusses the background of standards-based reform, traditional general education…

This resource manual was produced to assist the South Carolina Technical College System's efforts to improve institutional effectiveness and accountability. The first two sections of the manual provide a brief foreword, a description of state initiatives for research and academic excellence in South Carolina, the text of state legislation…

The impact of class size reduction at the early levels on student achievement in various states is discussed in this report. The Tennessee Student Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) study, a statewide longitudinal evaluation of the effects of class size on student achievement and development in primary grades K-3, analyzed demographic and basic…

This monograph focuses on the implementation process that has been a concern of school jurisdictions since the teacher evaluation policy became mandatory in Alberta, Canada, in 1985. Research has shown that school systems are adept at developing written policy but much less successful at putting that policy into effective operation. This overview…

This packet is designed to assist educational leaders in presenting current research-based information on the characteristics of effective schools to their school staff. The packet is divided into five sections, each including a sample presentation script, transparency models, and worksheets for promoting group discussion. The first section is an…