Any organization--a small business or start-up, a large established company, a nonprofit, and every level of government--depends on leadership to achieve more than the sum of its parts. The same is true for schools, where a single principal shapes the practice of dozens of teachers and the learning of hundreds--sometimes thousands--of students.…

This document is a description of the New England Program in Teacher Education (NEPTE), which is a six-state regional program intended to improve the quality of teacher education in New England. The main focus of the NEPTE staff is its state field agents. Activities of the field agents include the following: workshops; evaluation of proposals; the…

This paper explores what lessons can be learned from the experiences of states that instituted NCLB-like accountability systems prior to 2001 (here called first-generation accountability systems). It looks at the experiences of three smaller states (Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina), four larger ones (California, Florida, New York, Texas), and…

The report provides information on the current issues, financial priorities, and legislative concerns faced by higher education at the state level, based upon observations of State Higher Education Executive Officers in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. The most important tasks facing higher education were identified as…

Difficulties and rewards in using state assessment policy to benefit both students and the state are reviewed. The questions examined in this guide will help state policy makers know the questions they should ask about whether, what, and how well students are learning. Questions were developed from four seminars in 1989, 1990, and 1991 on…