This study presents a longitudinal and intertextual analysis of educational policymaking activity in California over a 10-year period to identify factors that supported local policy implementation in a shifting political climate. Analysis reveals the essential nature of coherence, capacity building, and changed practices in building an alternative…

The development of a measure to assess students' perceptions of the extent to which higher education learning environment characteristics enhance personal learning is reported. Factor analyses of the Student Assessment of Teaching and Learning are reported for 2,190 students. Implications for using student rating information in teacher evaluation…

Recommends teaching intermediate macroeconomics as a two-part sequence, with the first component based on a benchmark model that reflects accepted theory and applications to policy. Maintains that current intermediate economics courses cover too much material. Argues for spreading this material over several elective courses. (MJP)

Examines the intellectual arguments and thinking that might have accorded primacy to English in Trinidad and Tobago in the colonial period, and the ways in which formal schooling inculcated and imposed English. Draws on school records and evaluations of the curriculum and student performance to analyze how managers policed the English-language…

A national survey of 1,289 elementary teachers and focus groups examined effects of state testing programs on instructional practices and implications for gifted students' motivation. Results suggest that testing programs are likely to discourage effective classroom practices and instead lead to teachers engaging in one-size-fits-all practices.…

Describes the philosophy and practical steps involved in doing outcomes assessment on student services. Discusses several assessment models, with special attention placed on Nichol's outcomes assessment template. Describes the process as applied at Lower Columbia College (Washington). (Contains two tables and seven references.) (NB)

Features comments from Robert L. Hampel, William R. Johnson, Diane Ravitch, and David N. Plank on David Tyack and Larry Cuban's book, "Tinkering toward Utopia: A Century of Public School Reform." The book argues that educational reformers in the 20th century have attempted large-scale systemic reforms instituted from the top down. (MJP)

Different methodologies for linking tests across languages are reviewed and evaluated, focusing on monolingual item response theory, bilingual group designs, and matched monolingual group designs. These methods, although not without weaknesses, are superior for promoting score comparability than methods that rely on translation or expert judgment…

This article addresses the question "Where is the evidence that colleges can teach students to improve how they think?" The author argues that the goal of helping students think more critically is, in fact, obtainable, and that the focus should be on determining how curriculum can be improved. Suggestions are offered for future research. (Contains…

Draws on a theory of education for a Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) framework based on the structure of general education in modern educational systems. Shows that pedagogical research on school and instruction is formed by the relationship of instruction, didactics, curricular development, and achievement control. (CAJ)

Lists the top 100 public schools ranked according to a ratio: the number of Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) tests taken by all students at a school in 2002 divided by the number of graduating seniors. Explores what makes them great and what other schools can learn about AP testing and innovative methods (MLF)

Fourteen teachers of students with visual impairments who were visually impaired themselves were either interviewed in a focus group or observed in their itinerant or resource room settings. Issues of transportation, access to information, assessment, and instructional responsibilities were addressed. Participants reported that while barriers to…

A French immersion/math-science alternative school in Montreal (Quebec) had 32 secondary students perform the mandated school self-assessment. The student-designed questionnaire focused on the school's mission statement. Results indicated that the students felt the school was successful in only one aspect of its mission statement--the math and…

Examines the current condition of the charter-school movement. On the one hand, the demand for and satisfaction of charter schools is high; on the other, opposition to charter schools is growing. Suggests that changes, including a national organization to press for accountability, are needed for the movement to succeed. (WFA)

The Moss Point, Mississippi, school district uses a semantic mapping teaching approach called "Writing to Learn" that visually and graphically displays ideas and concepts. Students use computers to work on writing projects, and their achievement scores in the state's reading and writing examinations have increased remarkably. Outlines…