The "No Child Left Behind Act" of 2001 crystallized the concern for accountability in education. National testing was mandated as a way to improve the "broken" educational system. Publicly funded early education programs were not spared from such testing. While the positive effects of high-quality early education on children's…

There is growing recognition of the impact of exposure to trauma on the social and emotional development of children and adolescents, and this recognition has spurred initiatives to improve the standard of care and increase the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of child trauma. Leaders of child traumatic stress (CTS) initiatives recognize…

This report on Virginia higher education briefly reviews the impact of economic recession, slashed budgets, increased tuition, and increasing politicization upon the state's higher education system, and then looks ahead to issues critical to the higher education's future in the state. The report proposes action in three areas: (1) adequate funding…

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), with the establishment and promulgation of standards for the reform of teaching and learning mathematics, has furnished the leadership and the impetus toward the achievement of a vision of affording a high-quality mathematics education for all of the nation's children. Published in March…

Public relations guidelines for school principals are offered in this handbook, with an emphasis on improving student achievement and internal and external communication. Six chapters discuss the principal's public relations role, internal communication, securing and maintaining community involvement, school publications, media relations, and…

The practical steps outlined in this manual are based on the experience of establishing Marquette (Michigan) Alternative Senior High (MASH), organized in 1978 to serve rural youth who had dropped out or were not benefiting significantly from the regular high school programs. Chapters are organized in chronological progression and each refers to…

The first in a series of papers by the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation on policy issues in early childhood care and education, this report describes the status of early childhood care and education in the United States in the 1980s, with emphasis on publicly funded programs. First presented are data from the October 1980 Current…

Highlighting three exemplary schools, Steve Lacayo defines a good school as a visionary community of parents, teachers, and students. Afterschool programs, accessible technology, small classes, and improved teacher training are essential ingredients. Other articles discuss related issues: vouchers, standards, the phonics/whole-language debate,…

As public funds decline and the political climate changes, accountability and quality assurance are important issues for U.S. colleges and universities, and institutional leaders are concerned about a shift away from the established institution-centered structures, toward government-mandated, standards-driven systems. This paper explores the…

This document explores the mission, goals, and underlying philosophy of the National Center for Science Teaching and Learning (NCSTL). The reform of the U.S. educational system, especially in the area of science education, will require a thorough examination of noncurricular, external factors affecting science education. In order to bring about…

This report is the inaugural edition of a triennial profile of the condition of North Carolina's youngest population (age birth through 5 years), the target population for the state's "Smart Start" program. Part 1 of the report details the needs of young children in the state by means of state and county-by-county data. Part 2 presents…

The statistical data presented in this report provide a sketch of higher education in the European Union for the period 1980-89. An introductory chapter defines the topics covered by the report: enrollment, number of graduates, teaching staff, actual duration of study for higher education graduates compared to stipulated duration, unemployment…

Several small group discussion sessions were convened to account for the fact that public support of vocational education continues to be strong, despite the fact that the outcomes of vocational studies that have been measured show only modest effects for some people in some programs. The panelists concluded that there are six types of outcomes…

This handbook provides a model or process for examining the impact of a community school. Specifically, it provides a step-by-step guide to assessing impact by looking at voting, public opinion, attendance, and vandalism data. Other potential indexes of impact are also discussed. The steps involved in conducting an impact evaluation are similar to…

This profile summarizes and analyzes data to provide a broad range of educational indicators of the operation and performance of New Mexico's 88 school districts. The profile looks at the dropout rate and student enrollment, including the number of students receiving public assistance, special education, and bilingual education. Also studied are:…