Spurred by the "No Child Left Behind Act" of 2001, virtually every educational reform program now includes an accountability component that requires sound data collection and reporting (NCLB, 2002, section 101). Drawing from empirically based and theoretical literature in the field, this dissertation examines Adequate Yearly Progress…

The effectiveness of the Nichols Avenue Follow-Through Program, in Washington, D.C., and the extent to which it provides for improving opportunities for children of low-income families to learn and achieve up to and above national norms in the areas of reading and mathematics were evaluated. The program goals were to assure that: (1) by the end of…