Reports on the Locally-Directed Evaluation Project which had the goal of improving educational offerings within local education agencies (LEA's) through more effective evaluation procedures, and systemizing several activities which LEA personnel conduct to aid in planning and decision-making. (TA)

"Thinking Brazil" is an electronic publication of the Brazil Institute. This issue of "Thinking Brazil" highlights the research of Elizabeth Balbachevsky. On July 24, 2006, Elizabeth Balbachevsky, Woodrow Wilson Center Public Policy Scholar and Associate Professor of Political Science, Universidade de Sao Paulo, presented her research on the…

This guide focuses on introducing key skills and Skills for Life successfully to learners during the early stages of their programs. It draws on the work of a research project that looked at providers who had addressed their apprentices Skills for Life and key skills needs from the start and contains examples from their experience. [This guide was…

There are almost 3,000 charter schools operating in the United States. In Arizona about 500 charters enroll about 74,000 students. The question of whether charter schools "work" is, therefore, of considerable interest to policymakers and the public nationally and in Arizona. To charter school proponents, the fact that charters exist is…

An overview of debated issues related to the benefits and disadvantages of inclusive schooling. The beliefs of districts, school personnel and parents are widely differing as related to the placement of students with special needs in inclusive settings. The examples of current federal laws help to shape the debate of full inclusion in schools…

Dealing with the results of an advanced stage of a three-year-study, this contribution is aimed at a detailed recognition of some areas of school operation, identified earlier by a preliminary research. Five areas, or subjects, are analyzed: consent in main principles of school operation, creation and attainment of a path the school is to walk on…

Chapters in this collection provide the perspectives of Caribbean educators on a variety of issues related to the theory and practice of education. Section 1, "Professional Development," contains these chapters: (1) "Is There Still Room for the Model Teacher?" (Sonia Jones); (2) "Using an In-Service Programme To Develop as…

"The Achiever" is published semi-monthly during the school year for parents and community leaders. Each issue contains news and information about school improvement in the United States. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) "Study Yields First-Ever Data on K-12 Distance Education"; (2) "Putting Its Mark…

This paper examines how controlling statistically for baseline covariates (especially pretests) improves the precision of studies that randomize schools to measure the impacts of educational interventions on student achievement. Part I of the paper introduces the concepts, issues, and options involved. Parts II and III present empirical findings…

Online assessment promises a faster and more useful return of data about student performance in states accountability assessments. The prospect of gaining quick access to such information is alluring, and many states are creating new assessments for an online environment in order to obtain it. This period of retooling presents a significant…

This document addresses a study that aimed to better understand the historical development of British Columbia community college, university college, and institute system with special attention given to recent changes in inter-institutional collaboration in relation to provincial coordination. The study also addresses centralization and…

This document discusses the performance indicators set forth by Jamestown Community College in 2002 in order to assess the effectiveness of the school in specified areas. The document begins with an overview of the vision and mission statement of the school. The mission statement is closely related to the indicators that are discussed in the…

This report addresses the Virginia Community College System's (VCCS) core performance standards and measures for the years 2001-2002. There are four core indicators through which the VCCS is assessed. They are the following: (1) student attainment including academic and technical skills; (2) completion/graduation rate using first time, full-time…

This paper looks at what schools are doing to promote school safety. It is organized in four areas: (1) extent of problem behavior in schools, including the types of victimization experienced by students and teachers, and how students and teachers perceive the safety of their schools; (2) efforts used by schools to prevent problem behavior and the…

This paper offers an assessment model approach for program assessment of Information Systems (IS) undergraduate programs. The paper presents the case example of results of program assessment for the B.S. in Information Systems at University of Redlands (UR). It demonstrates the usefulness of the approach to understanding the overall success of an…