The policy papers included in this package address various facets of the topic of data-based accountability for education in California. Guy Benveniste of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Education explores the underlying issue of accountability and describes the implications of different types of accountability measures. In…

Data collection and analysis are frequently neglected by school leaders over the course of the decision-making process. All schools gather large amounts of information about students and teachers, but most data are used to satisfy administrative requirements rather than evaluate school improvement in a systematic fashion. Apprehension regarding…

Texas school district fiscal response to a state-level call for increased emphasis on technology is examined. The response, in this instance, is budgeted expenditures on a per-student basis on computing and data processing for the 1988-89 school year. Response is investigated as a function of district characteristics such as wealth per student,…