Recent policies intended to improve teacher quality have focused on the preparation that teachers receive before entering the classroom. A short-lived federal rule would have required every state to assess and rank teacher-preparation programs by their graduates' impact on student learning. Though the federal rule was repealed, last year some 21…

This qualitative follow-up evaluation explored the long-term impact of a faculty development program on participants who were five years post program. This study focused on 12 faculty members who participated in the University of Missouri's New Faculty Teaching Scholars program. The nine month program focused on creating a culture of teaching…

Despite the popularity of performance funding among policymakers and policy advocates, only half of all states have ever created a performance funding system for higher education. State performance funding systems have also been surprisingly unstable. Nearly half of those states that established performance funding systems for higher education…

Developing school leaders who are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to effectively lead low-performing schools has become a critical goal for local school districts intent on dramatically improving student outcomes. Given the current criticism surrounding leadership preparation programs and the changing nature of school…

As part of a multiyear research study on the preparation of educators to use assessment data for instructional improvement, the present study is a pilot test of a research-based professional development intervention for career-technical teachers. Forty-eight educators at nine sites in five states participated in a 1-day workshop followed by…

Outcomes assessment and continuous improvement are essential elements of educational programs. Emphasis on assessment is based primarily upon the requirements of accrediting agencies, but also on the perceived value of assessment in satisfying the demands for accountability in an increasingly competitive environment. Educational research has shown…

Based on the increased public pressure of the governors in Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky for higher education to make significant strides in "outcomes assessment," a national survey of the 361 colleges and universities identified in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication directory as having undergraduate…

The 1975-76 program aimed to: raise or maintain the rate of gain in computational and communicational skills of each student in the tutorial program; improve the computational and communicational skills of each student in the "Career Development" program; increase each "Career Development" student's awareness of, specific…

This description of the student outcomes assessment programs at community and junior colleges in Missouri provides an overview of the programs, a summary of the position of the Missouri Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) on assessment, and brief reports on the assessment programs of MACJC members. After introductory comments…

The 1974-75 program aimed to: raise or maintain the rate of gain in computational and communicational skills of each student in the tutorial program; improve the computational and communicational skills of each student in the "Career Development" program; increase each "Career Development" student's awareness of, specific…

Program objectives were to: identify migrant children in the State; provide, through the national data bank, a complete educational and health record for each child; raise or maintain the students' educational level; screen migrant children for health problems and arrange for treatment as needed; increase parental involvement and understanding of…

During fiscal year 1974, the program aimed to: identify migrant children in the State, provide a complete educational and health record for each child identified, raise or maintain the students' educational level, screen the children for health problems and arrange for health services as needed, increase parental involvement, expand the Career…

Since 1988, state governments have been required to collect quarterly from private sector employers gross earnings by Social Security numbers, industry of employment, and county of employment. A study was conducted of 13 states' efforts to use this wage record database as a tool for improving educational accountability and assessing the impact of…

A rapid feedback evaluation of state- and local-level implementation of the Career Education Incentive Act (PL 95-207) was conducted. (This act established K-12 and postsecondary career exploration as national priorities.) Site visits were made in nine states (Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana,…

In March 2003, the Education Commission of the States, the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education established a collaborative project to help states improve higher education performance by assisting with examination of state higher education policies and with…