In the winter of 2008, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) released reports examining the impact of national and state accountability systems on curriculum, instruction, and student achievement in Rhode Island and Illinois. Using classroom observations and interviews with school administrators, instructional specialists, teachers, parents, and…

This report takes an in-depth look at how classroom practices in Rhode Island, Illinois, and Washington State have been influenced by state accountability policies and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). It examines how teachers and administrators have responded to increased accountability and pressure to meet state standards. Drawing from case…

The evaluation report addresses a two-year effort of an originally planned three-year project designed to plan, pilot test, and implement a K-14 career education program into the North Kingstown, Rhode Island public schools. During the two years of the project, administrative and community support diminished until funding for the third and final…

A third-party evaluation was conducted of the first year of an experience-based career education project (EBCE) in Rhode Island. Three sources of evaluation information were used: evaluator observations, the Community Resource Questionnaire, and the Student Skills and Attitude Inventory. Because the actual project implementation was for just one…

The Rhode Island Experience-Based Career Education (EBCE) project served high school juniors and seniors in seven communities by offering career exploration activities, career counseling, and academic instruction. (The academic component was not implemented in all participating schools.) The project sought to increase the career maturity, career…