A symposium on educational evaluation was held to celebrate the career of Robert E. Stake. Contributions, which relate to many aspects of educational evaluation, include: (1) "The Issue of Advocacy in Evaluation" (Ernest House and Kenneth Howe); (2) "The Meaning of Bias" (Michael Scriven); (3) Commentary on Ernie House and…

This paper assesses how three schools' change capacity influenced the implementation of school reform, specifically Basic education, a renewed curriculum in the first phase of secondary education. It reports on a study that examined the relationship between the characteristics of Dutch schools and their staff, the actual use of change capacity…

This report contains the interim findings of the Evaluation of Charter School Effectiveness. The study team collected and analyzed data on organizational arrangements and instructional activities implemented in charter schools to assess the impact of charter schools on teaching and learning. The study focused on four research questions: What is…

Many states use a statewide assessment strategy to evaluate districts on common measures. Because districts in Nebraska are not measured on common instruments, comparisons of district performance are difficult. The accountability model described in this paper contains three components related to school district performance on academic content…

This Policy Brief explores two very different aspects of accountability and curriculum. One traditional view incorporates standards into a system of accountability and school curricula. An alternative and currently popular perspective sees accountability as not a system but a strategy, and attempts to fix significant responsibility for student…

Following a review of educational standard-setting experiences in the United States, the procedures used by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to arrive at a consensus on educational objectives are described. These objectives represent the only definitions of educational quality that are widely accepted by professional and lay…

Results from the third national mathematics assessment indicate that scores on low-level skills did not decline from the previous assessment, but no improvement was found on applications items. Comments by Shirley Hill, past president of NCTM, and from a report from the National Academy of Sciences are included. (MNS)

Contrasting American education with that of other countries, compares systems that differ profoundly in objectives, values, and organization. The American decentralization, lack of a national examination system, and values of egalitarianism, utilitarianism, and individualism work against the single-minded concentration on academic goals of other…

Contradictory public expectations, public and administrative indifference to intellectual content and process in schools, an absence of any clear educational mission, and fragmentation of power characterize today's schools. Decision making is thus increasingly difficult. Restored purpose and power require shared vision and effective use of power.…

Forty-two chief school officers from state departments of education provided information for this study. A table shows the kinds of activities in use in each state, including student codes, community training, surveys of school staff and students, task force reports, and legislation requiring monitoring of violence and vandalism. (PB)

Urges more active attempts to measure the impact continuing education/community service programs are having on the communities served. Calls for a review of priorities; emphasis on impact-measurable programs; and research on costs, funding sources, participant and recipient identification, changes within the community and effects on individuals.…

This survey of 106 two-year colleges in the Midwest indicates that 77 percent have assessment tests in writing and 72 percent in reading, and that English departments play a major role in communicating test results to students. (AEA)

Reports results of literacy tests of 5,500 10-year-old and 5,100 14-year-old students throughout Australia in 1980. Compares these results with those of testing in 1975, pointing out that in reading, overall results were almost identical, while in writing some tasks showed improvement. (JM)

Evaluates role played by the periodical "Economics" in the rise of economics study in English schools since the second World War. Topics discussed include membership in the Economics Association, contribution to the journal by school teachers, and the relationship of the boom in economics study to the general interest in social sciences. (DB)

Describes an educational research study which was undertaken to determine and assess use of recitation in the elementary school classroom as a teaching technique, particularly in social studies and mathematics education units. Findings indicated that recitation should be used more often in the classroom because it does permit some degree of…