Virtual schools have the potential to improve student learning--but so far, as asserted in this article, research tells little about how online instruction affects student performance. Most of the studies that pointed to good student outcomes were small in scale and based on specific programs or products. Few provide data to help understand…

A short 27 months ago, two groups of U.S. states were each awarded more than $175 million to design, develop, and pilot test a new generation of assessments (U.S. Department of Education, 2010). These new tests will replace assessments in English language arts and mathematics that are currently in use within state and federal accountability…

Recently, two of the authors (Amrein-Beardsley & Collins, 2012) studied the impact of Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS), a value-added model used to judge Houston teachers' performance. They examined the cases of four teachers who were terminated in summer 2011, at least in part because of their subpar EVAAS scores. Talking to…

Faculty at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy are improving their understanding of teaching and learning through an innovative system combining collaborative accountability and professional development. CADRE (Career Development Reinforcing Excellence) centers around a network characterized by collective educational goals, self- and…

Faced with low literacy levels, four schools in Santa Clara, California, decreed that every entering kindergartner would be a competent reader by the end of second grade. The schools then implemented the 1,000 Days Network--an uninterrupted morning literacy block tailored to children's needs. Preliminary results are encouraging. (MLH)

In 1998, California voters approved Initiative 227, requiring that all limited-English children be provided an English-immersion program for 1 year or longer as needed. Hispanic parents are leaders in the movement. Dire predictions that bilingual children in English-language classrooms would fall behind have not materialized. (Contains 18…

Alternative schools are definitive departures from the programmatic, organizational, and behavioral regularities inhibiting school reform. Many reforms now pursued in traditional schools were pioneered by alternative schools. Types include popular innovations, last-chance programs, and remedial programs. Advantages, disadvantages, common elements,…

Its focus on holding schools accountable for student achievement on standardized assessments sets NCLB apart from previous versions of the law. The more severe consequences for schools that do not show the necessary improvements in student achievement--such as restructuring and state takeovers--loom just around the corner. Many educators are…

In 1995, the Virginia Board of Education adopted sweeping new Standards of Learning (SOL) outlining minimally accepted K-12 academic-achievement goals. The program has four components: high academic standards, tests to measure student progress, accreditation measures to ensure accountability for student achievement, and annual school-performance…

In 2002, Michael Bloomberg, New York City's newly elected mayor, hoped to fix his city's public schools, which were widely perceived as plagued by a gamut of problems that ranged from low test scores to patronage-riddled schools and districts. A special bill approved by the New York State Legislature made Bloomberg solely accountable to the New…

The purpose of the present article is to react to the arguments presented in a booklet, Educational Accountability: Beyond Behavioral Objectives, that discusses the role of behavioral objectives. (Author/RK)

In recent years, assessment data have assumed a more central role education policy and practice. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requires states to implement standardized assessment-based systems to evaluate their schools. The NCLB approach rests on the assumption that assessment data can provide credible information to gauge how effectively schools…

Research in the neurobiological, behavioral, and social sciences has dramatically increased our capacity to provide effective intervention for economically disadvantaged children. According to Neuman, however, U.S. policymakers have made little use of this body of research to improve the prospects of children at risk. This article discusses seven…

In October 1992 issue of "Educational Leadership," Marian Matthews communicates several misunderstandings about cooperative learning. Interview data from 15 middle schoolers in a wealthy district are not generalizable to all cooperative-learning situations. A cooperative-learning group is neither a seating arrangement nor individualistic learning…

The author explains how a humanistic curriculum can function as a component of systems in which learning outcomes are predicted, and in which students' and teachers' responsibilities are defined clearly. (GW)