This document is from a featured presentation at the 2018 annual conference of the Science Teachers Association of Texas (STAT). The public schools are a fundamental element of our democratic society, and they have been the pathway to opportunity and a better life for generations of Americans. But at present, the American public school system is…

Every child is unique and learns in different ways. Some children are identified as needing special education services to support his or her learning at school. Parents can play a major role in shaping the services a child receives. This guidebook has been written for parents, guardians, and surrogate parents of a child (ages 3 to 21 or…

Under the direction of the Superintendent of Schools, a comprehensive needs assessment of Hawaii's public school system was conducted from September 1998 through February 1999. This final report contains the findings of the needs assessment, together with integrative conclusions that report the major findings in a way that will provide the…

Whether increasing reliance on policy-driven assessment for accountability and control of educational institutions is actually sabotaging long-term goals and purposes of the schools is explored, questioning whether current practices of high-stakes testing are anathema to real education values. The distinction between policy-driven assessment and…

The goals of this project are to assist schools in developing community ranked educational goals, to assess needs (i.e., to determine how well community ranked educational goals are being met), and to determine who among a number of groups are responsible for carrying out the goals as viewed from the local schools level. The concept of shared…

This document on state-level planning for education in Texas by the Texas Education Agency consists of two papers. The first focuses on the long-range plan of the State Board of Education for Texas public school education. The paper summarizes this plan, describes the process by which it was developed, and analyzes the status of its implementation…

A research project was developed for New York City public schools to improve student achievement based on analysis of school performance and subsequent development of corrective action evaluated within a framework of accountability. The program was composed of: (1) participation in the decision making process by various special interest groups;…

This guide describes the New York State assessment process as a framework for other districts aiming to develop an effective approach to performance assessment. In 1984-85 the New York State Board of Regents initiated the Comprehensive Assessment Report (CAR) as a process of reporting and using education results throughout the state. The…

This paper provides information about the development of a successful quality-assurance process in the New South Wales, Australia, school system. In 1992 the New South Wales (NSW) government announced its commitment to a program of quality-assurance reviews of schools. During that year, approximately 100 meetings were held with principals, school…

This report is concerned with improving the resource allocation system of public schools in Washington, D.C. It describes the information necessary for creating an alternative resource plan and the administrative reporting procedures necessary for maintaining such a plan. The strengths and weaknesses of existing data collection and reporting…

This report provides descriptive information for public officials and the general public about Maryland's public schools. It is the second report required by the Maryland Educational Accountability Act. This second report contains information about: the implementation of the Maryland Accountability Program on the State and local school system…

To provide information to educators and curriculum developers on strengths, weaknesses, and needs of ethnic studies programs in Pennsylvania, the report offers an overview of the nature and extent of ethnic studies programs operated by Pennsylvania's postsecondary institutions, public school systems, and nonpublic schools. Information is based on…

Design implementation and classroom instruction of the Alberta, Canada, social studies curriculum master plan are assessed in this report. The objective of the study was to synthesize findings of investigative activities into a set of general conclusions from which recommendations could be developed. It was concluded that internal inconsistencies…

This summary report assesses the design implementation and classroom instruction of the Alberta, Canada, social studies curriculum. The purpose of the study was to present a synthesis of findings from five investigative activities undertaken by a research association in Alberta: (1) review of the background of the program, (2) critiques of the…