In the twenty-first century, the use of standardized tests as the primary means to evaluate schools and teachers in the United States has contributed to severe dilemmas, including misleading information on what students know, lower-level instruction, cheating, less collaboration, unfair treatment of teachers, and biased teaching. This article…

After more than a decade (and four years behind schedule) Congress finally seems ready to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. For years, critics have complained that the law's focus on test scores offers far too narrow a picture for judging school quality. There is also concern that the "adequate yearly progress," or…

It is difficult to make a clear impact statement about charter schools. Much of the available research is equivocal, and many important questions related to the impact of charter schools remain unanswered. Researchers have primarily examined four general topics with respect to the impact of charter schools; (1) Do charter schools raise student…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Kline Introduces State and Local Funding Flexibility Act: Bill Would Allow States and School Districts to Move Money…

The 2010 edition of the "Digest of Education Statistics" is the 46th in a series of publications initiated in 1962. The "Digest" has been issued annually except for combined editions for the years 1977-78, 1983-84, and 1985-86. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field…

Almost all of the most recent school improvement strategies have focused on standards and accountability. But test data from assessments such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicate that such emphasis has had little impact on student achievement. Drawing from extensive research across national settings, Andy Hargreaves and…

In 2001, the U.S. Department of Education and the Ministry of Education in China entered into a bilateral partnership to develop a technology-driven approach to foreign language learning that integrated gaming, immersion, voice recognition, problem-based learning tasks, and other features that made it a significant research and development pilot…

This report describes the first phase of a 3-year longitudinal case study to investigate how 6 selected schools in New Zealand meet their year 11 students' needs through the subject choices offered them. The study is set against the background of the introduction of the National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA), a new…

The average educational attainment of US students is weak by international comparison. For example, mean results of PISA test scores are below the OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] average. This is despite substantial resources devoted to the schooling system. One partial explanation for this is that academic standards,…

This 1996 edition of the "Digest of Education Statistics" is the 32nd in a series of publications initiated in 1962. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from kindergarten through graduate school. The digest includes data from many government and private sources,…

This 1997 edition of the "Digest of Education Statistics" is the 32nd in a series of publications initiated in 1962. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from kindergarten through graduate school. The digest includes data from many government and private…

This progress report details the objectives of the Guam Department of Education's District Action Plan and progress toward achieving them in fiscal year 03-04 and the first quarter of fiscal year 04-05. Areas covered are: (1) standards and assessment; (2) personnel quality and accountability; (3) federal, state, and local programs; (4) home-school…

The Preparation for American Secondary Schools (PASS) program, added to the federal Overseas Refugee Training Program in 1985, was evaluated for its effectiveness in preparing Southeast Asian refugees for American education. The study compared the school performance of students with PASS training to that of students who did not receive PASS…

The Rural Education and Agriculture Program (REAP) was initiated in response to perceived deficiencies in the rural primary schools of Belize. Since its inception in 1976, REAP has moved through two of its anticipated three phases (Pilot Phase, July 1976-June 1979; District-Level Phase, July 1979-June 1982). REAP integrates academic subjects with…

The Kosrae (Micronesia) Department of Education operated a Title VII transitional bilingual education program from 1986-89, targeting the 1986-87 cohort of seventh graders. During the first 2 years, the students attended five village elementary schools, and during the third year attended the high school. This cohort had been targeted in previous…