The six national education goals designed to be achieved by the year 2000 address the following issues: (1) school readiness; (2) school completion; (3) student achievement; (4) U.S. mathematics and science performance compared to that in other countries; (5) adult literacy and lifelong learning; and (6) safe, disciplined, and drug-free schools.…

This report provides an overview and analysis of the Clinton Administration's school reform proposal, Goals 2000: Educate America Act, submitted to the 103d Congress on April 22, 1993. The proposal, which seeks to create a national structure for supporting school reform, addresses three primary topics: (1) education goals, standards, and…

Proceedings of a symposium of professors of educational administration that focused on concerns about the Bush Administration's six national educational goals are described in this paper. Attention was given to policy, measurement, and research implications. Policy concerns include the objectives' exclusionary development process, lack of a clear…

This book analyzes and discusses what is currently known about the benefits and costs of assessment programs for institutions of higher education. It is designed to provide a framework that can be applied by both institutional and state-level academic administrators as they consider which kinds of assessment approaches best fit their own needs and…

Some aspects of fourth generation evaluation procedures that have been advocated by E. G. Guba and Y. S. Lincoln were examined empirically, with emphasis on areas where there have been discrepancies between theory and field-based experience. In fourth generation evaluation, the product of an evaluation is not a set of conclusions, recommendations,…

The progress made by 24 League of Professional Schools in increasing the variety, collection, and use of data during 1990-91 is examined in this paper. Three goals of the league are to involve schools in action research for school improvement, increase teacher participation through shared governance, and develop school improvement initiatives.…

An overview of educational goals adopted and legislative actions taken in 12 southern states is provided in this report. Individual states' goals and actions are outlined in terms of the most commonly identified goals: school readiness and performance; student achievement; dropout rate reduction; college readiness; and attracting, recruiting, and…

An important issue in educational and employment settings is the degree to which evidence of validity obtained in one situation can be generalized to another situation without further study of validity in the new situation. Theory, procedures, and applications concerning validity generalization are addressed. Meta-analytic techniques make possible…

In 1981, the Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Board of Education contracted with an External Review Team composed of educators of national stature representing diverse perspectives and experiences to realize a portion of its mission statement, "To provide the board of education, the superintendent of schools, and the general public of Pittsburgh…

Selected methods for evaluating the stability of research results empirically are described, especially with regard to multivariate analysis. It is critically important to evaluate the influences of sampling error on obtained results; statistical significance testing does not inform judgment regarding the probable replicability or the sampling…

Issues that affect the use of performance indicators in managing educational quality are discussed in this paper. Recent changes in public-sector organizational management include the development of strategies for the management of change itself and the changing role of the public sector. A trend within the public sector is an increase in the…

In 1980, the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) revised the instruments used to assess basic skills attainment in mathematics and reading of all students in grades 4, 7, and 10. The research summarized in this paper examined the factor structures of the 1979 and 1980 versions of the Grade 10 MEAP mathematics test. These two versions…

Through a number of measures, both quantitative and qualitative, this progress report explores the achievements of Southeastern public schools in meeting the continually expanding goal of quality education for all citizens. Quantitative figures are shown, regionally and state by state, for ages of compulsory attendance, public and private school…

Scotland, like many countries, has a system of externally-administered syllabus-based examinations, set at two points: the end of compulsory schooling, which serves as a basis for entry to junior college "non-advanced further education" (mainly vocationally oriented); and at the end of grade 12, which serves as a basis for admission to…

Uganda's education system was damaged and retarded by the military regime of the 1970's. About 50 percent of the primary school age children go to school and of these only 20 percent manage to proceed to secondary school. The ultimate number that manage to gain admission to the single university is 0.8 percent of these. Curriculum provides for an…