Search

A focus on faculty professional learning, given the challenges that California community colleges and students face, must remain a high priority and continue to evolve. The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) has long been an advocate for the development of robust professional development policies as part of senate purview under Title 5 §53200, colloquially referred to as the 10+1. Indeed, as student populations within the California community colleges become more diverse, colleges seek to improve student success and close the opportunity gap for marginalized communities. The ASCCC has passed numerous resolutions in support of intentional learning opportunities to address diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism throughout the curriculum and college cultures. Such intentional learning must be a significant component of faculty professional learning and development. The goal and purpose of this paper is to examine the importance of faculty professional learning that is necessary to improve student success as well as the role local academic senates can play in such efforts. The paper will examine the issues from both a philosophical and practical point of view.

Idealistic federal legislation that invokes excellence and fairness, such as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, may actually leave many rural communities behind as rural schools seeking to meet the federal mandates collide with state budget deficits of historical proportion. Drawing on the literature, public opinion polls, and the results of a survey of the executive directors of 24 state affiliates of the National Rural Education Association (NREA), this position paper discusses the most pressing concerns about NCLB's potential effects on rural education to show that NCLB's "cookie cutter" approach to public education is considered unacceptable to many educators and to much of the public. NREA's recommendations for action are: (1) Demonstrate that NREA and state-affiliate organizations advocate a high-quality, standards-based education for all students in rural schools with adequate funding provided equitably and used effectively to support such an education; (2) Identify and promote the qualities of a rural education that help students excel and build strong rural communities; (3) Support a research agenda that reveals how and why rural schools are being successful in the current climate of high stakes accountability; (4) Identify the constraints to the academic and social success of rural students, develop an agenda to overcome them, and move aggressively to accomplish implementation of the agenda at the national policy level, in both the political and educational environments; (5) Establish supportive partnerships with community organizations and groups through signed memorandums of understandings; and (6) Build public awareness of these actions and work to develop a membership base that is active and supportive of their attainment. (Contains 6 tables, 1 figure, and 33 endnotes.)

Summarizing a decade of research at the University of California, this paper concludes that admissions criteria that tap student mastery of curriculum content, such as high-school grades and performance on achievement tests, are stronger predictors of success in college and are fairer to poor and minority applicants than tests of general reasoning such as the SAT. [Paper prepared for inaugural conference of Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice: "Defining Enrollment in the 21st Century: Understanding Our Students and Our Commitments," University of Southern California, August 4-6, 2008.]

A fundamental goal of teachers in public schools in British Columbia (BC) is to ensure all students of every age, through the principle of continuous learning, have an equal opportunity to develop their full capacity for artistic, cultural, emotional, intellectual, and physical growth. BC public school teachers believe that the primary purpose of assessment is to support and promote students' learning. They know it is important to use a variety of methods to assess students' progress and meet students' needs. Classroom instruction and assessment practices must be congruent with a belief that learning happens when the individual child is central to, engaged in, and excited by learning. With this focus, and through a series of finely tuned and complex decisions, the teacher's responsibility is to make curricular, instructional, and assessment choices to foster the growth of the whole child. Ongoing classroom assessment allows students to demonstrate, in a variety of ways, what they are learning and thereby informs teaching and learning. Teachers know that learning is a complex process, and that students learn in different ways and at different rates. The proliferation of mandated, district-wide, and provincial testing has taken time away from teaching and learning and has had an effect on the "taught" curriculum, by both narrowing it and making it shallower. The workload on teachers has increased dramatically, adding stress to the job, and forcing some to choose to teach part-time in order to be able to comply with the requirements imposed on the system. The misguided use of school district data has not improved the learning conditions of children nor increased the resources necessary for effective instruction to ensure success for students. The so-called accountability or achievement agenda has not produced any tangible improvements for the education system as a whole nor for the children who attend schools. Teachers are committed to ensuring the best possible education for every child. It is because of this commitment that they are so concerned about the current practices in, and direction of, the public education system. If teachers are being pressured to act in ways that are harmful to children, causing children undue stress, short-changing them on exciting educational opportunities, labeling them as failures because of their language, class, or gender then there is a need to change what is being done. This paper contends that educational policy and practice must shift away from standardization and return to focusing on student's individual learning needs.

The Business Roundtable prepared this paper to: (1) help policymakers and the public better understand the facts about the United States' role in the worldwide economy; (2) offer context and perspective on employment trends; and (3) recommend a package of policies that will stimulate economic growth, foster innovation, create jobs and help workers develop skills for the jobs of today--and the jobs of tomorrow. Included among the Business Roundtable's recommendations for federal and state leaders are the following steps for improving education and training: (1) Identify how all of the public programs that now provide worker education, training and adjustment assistance can increase their flexibility, accessibility and effectiveness; (2) Modify existing trade adjustment assistance programs to include workers in services; (3) Launch a national initiative to design a new worker education, training and adjustment system for the 21st century; (4) Stay the course on implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act to improve reading and math achievement of the students who are tomorrow's workforce; (5) Move dedicated support for improving math and science education to the top of the list of federal education funding priorities; and (6) Design education and immigration policies to address the impact of demographic and higher education enrollment trends on the scientific and engineering workforce. (Contains 54 endnotes.)

Until the nation's educational-research base improves, American students will never learn as much as they might and American schools will never be as good as they can be. Those are the conclusions of this white paper, a report of 5 years of analysis and ongoing discussion with parents, teachers, administrators, and researchers by the National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board. The paper states that improving American schools and student achievement involves many factors: safe schools; state-of-the-art facilities; the latest technologies; demanding performance standards; real school accountability; challenging new curricula; parent involvement; ongoing teacher training and development; strong instructional leadership; and more money through equitable school-finance policies. Meeting these challenges, the paper contends, depends on new knowledge based on educational research. High achievement for all students should be focused on research emphasizing reading, second-language learning, and mathematics. To advance the vision of research for the future, the paper offers a 10-point action agenda for Congress and the Administration: (1) mission; (2) student achievement; (3) priorities; (4) quality; (5) utility; (6) continuity in leadership; (7) continuity in staff; (8) continuity in research; (9) continuity in oversight; and (10) financial support. (WFA)

This paper responds to critics of an August 2000 paper that reported the effects of educational vouchers on student test scores in three cities. The report found that: (1) after 2 years, no students other than African Americans seemed to benefit from vouchers; and (2) African Americans in all three cities posted moderately large test score gains after 2 years. This paper responds to such criticisms as: the experimental group may have been biased, since some of the most disadvantaged voucher winners did not switch to private schools and were excluded, and the key finding improperly compared two dramatically different groups and may reflect private school screening-out of the most at-risk students; purported gains for African Americans are overstated; gains displayed by African American children are most distinct during their first year in a private school, but then the achievement advantage, relative to their peers in public schools, levels off; the demonstrated gains from using vouchers are limited to math, as reading performance appears to be more difficult to budge; and reported test score gains may be due to the declining share of students who appeared for the standardized tests from years 1 and 2. These criticisms are based upon an inaccurate characterization of the analysis. They misunderstand the design of the study and incorrectly suggest that it drops some students from the analysis. (SM)

The instruction that we provide, the intellectual climate that we create, and the policy decisions that we make should all start with the question, "But will it improve students' learning?" Basic to any answer is the state of our knowledge about learning. A spate of recent research has resulted in comprehensive and lengthy reviews of surveys of research on student learning; the current model for coping with this information explosion is ever-tighter syntheses and distillations. These "principles" could in turn be summarized as a grand meta-principle that might say something like this: "What we know about student learning is that students who are actively engaged in learning for deeper understanding are likely to learn more than students not so engaged." However, what we already know from our own experience, as both learners and teachers, is that people have to find their own answers by working though the pathways to knowledge. Telling people what the "experts" know is not likely to result in the kind of deeper learning that we want to encourage. If we are to take learning seriously, we need to know what to look for (through research), to observe ourselves in the act of lifelong learning (self-reflection), and to be much more sensitively aware of the learning of the students that we see before us everyday. At present, I think we are prone to consider research findings as the "conclusion" of our investigations into learning. We might do better to think of them as the start of our investigations.

This paper examines trends toward cooperation and collaboration between colleges of further education and universities in the United Kingdom especially increasing political pressures for wider access to postsecondary education. It notes that the trend toward a single postsecondary sector within which students can move freely from one level to another is not accompanied with commensurate increases in resources provided to institutions of higher education. The paper reports on an analysis of retention, success, and failure rates of students (N=1329) who had either transferred from a further education college (N=465) or entered the university as first-year students over the period 1994-1998. Students were working at either regular or honors degree levels in accounting, commerce, and business studies. Overall, the students transferring from further education colleges were significantly more likely than first-year entry students to achieve the Degree or Honours Degree qualification. Results suggest that institutions in both sectors can increase student intake without prejudicing program quality or students' learning experience. However, this paper raises concerns about how the new "Advanced Higher" qualification will relate to accreditation requirements of professional bodies and governmental policy. (Contains 12 references.) (DB)

This paper has been written as a supporting paper to "A Bridge to the Future: Australia's National Strategy for Vocational Education and Training 1998-2003" (ED 420 764). Because vocational education and training (VET) activities constitute a major expenditure for Australia's federal, state, and territory governments, effective performance measurement in VET helps to ensure funds are used efficiently and effectively. The primary objectives of key performance measures (KPMs) for the VET system are to demonstrate public accountability and identify continuous improvement opportunities. KPMs determine the efficiency with which resources are used to produce VET outputs and the effectiveness of these outputs in achieving the goals and objectives. They focus on outputs and outcomes. Efficiency, effectiveness, outputs, and outcomes are incorporated into seven KPMs. KPM 1 measures skill outputs produced annually within the domain of formally recognized VET. The four Effectiveness Measures are as follows: KPM 2: stocks of VET skills against desired levels; KPM 3: employers' views on the relevance of skills acquired through VET; KPM 4: student employment outcomes and prospects before and after participation in VET; and KPM 5: VET participation, outputs, and outcomes achieved by client groups. The two Efficiency Measures are as follows: KPM 6: (actual) public expenditure per publicly funded output and KPM 7: (actual) public expenditure per total recognized output. All KPMs are intended to be implemented progressively over the next 3 years with full reporting occurring in 2001 for the year 2000. (YLB)

Calls for school reform and performance have crested and receded many times this century. Establishing rigorous academic standards will revolutionize education and improve equity, and standards enjoy popular support. Standards require: (1) proficiency by students of all grades in a variety of subjects; (2) assessment testing; and (3) cooperation with textbook publishers. Much current criticism of standards focuses on the relationship between democracy and education. Dewey's broad, dynamic understanding of this relationship in a lived democracy included developing a shared common purpose through communication, but current discussions too often exclude the experiences of teachers. Many critics and supporters believe current standards are too precise and do not ensure student understanding. Frequently overlooked are the substantial limitations of standardized tests, which ignore factors outside school. The potential of alternative assessment instruments is demonstrated by the experience of a first-grade teacher in New York City's Lower East Side school linking democracy and instruction by focusing on specific skills students need in diverse settings. (TEJ)

In August 1996 Jay P. Greene, Paul E. Peterson, and Jiangtao Du, with Leesa Boeger and Curtis L. Frazier, issued a report called "The Effectiveness of School Choice in Milwaukee." The report, referred to as GPDBF, presented data that indicated that low-income minority students in their third and fourth years of participation in the Milwaukee choice program performed better on standardized math and reading tests than did students who were not selected for the program. The GPDBF report explained why its results differed from those reported by a previous research team headed by Dr. John Witte. The Witte report found no effect of enrollment in choice schools on test performance. Witte, in the paper "Reply to Greene, Peterson, and Du," replied to the GPDBF report in late August 1996. This paper, a response to Dr. Witte, discusses methodological issues that affect the evaluation of school choice in Milwaukee. The paper argues that the Witte response failed to cast doubt on the GPDBF findings, and that Witte failed to justify his own analysis against reasonable criticism. The paper defends the GPDBF findings against three criticisms made by Witte: (1) that GPDBF used a mode of analysis inappropriate for educational research; (2) that GPDBF sample sizes were too small to allow for reasonable statistical inference; and (3) that missing cases biased the GPDBF results. Seven tables are included. (LMI)

The personal computer is the latest educational technology to fall short of its original promise. Although United States public schools now possess 5.8 million computers, roughly one for every nine students, they are not widely used in classroom instruction. This paper argues that the most popular explanations for lack of computer use fix blame on recalcitrant bureaucracies and stubborn teachers. By enlisting technology in the cause of educational reform, computer advocates overlook some of the real obstacles to the use of computers in classrooms. These obstacles are rooted in organizational constraints of the school system and the essential nature of teachers' and students' work. The paper examines the world of teachers and students to uncover how their interactions limit the computer's impact on schooling and describes how these limitations are viewed by leading architects of public policy promoting educational technology, in particular a report published by the U.S. Congress's Office of Technology and Assessment in 1995. A conclusion is that computer advocates must separate their agenda from other reform agendas. The campaign to promote computer technology in the schools should stress three elements: (1) developing a strong technological infrastructure through investments in adequate school facilities; (2) using computers to make teachers' work easier and more efficient, not to redefine teaching; and (3) employing computers to increase student academic achievement, not for changing current ideas of valued knowledge. (Contains 54 references.) (LMI)

A proposed strategy for the National Assessment of Vocational Education (NAVE) uses school-wide data to identify secondary schools where students' academic achievement has been improving at a relatively fast rate and those where it has not. Schools with the most involvement in vocational education can be selected from the two groups. These two sets of schools can then be compared in depth to describe how vocational education is being used. The in-depth study can supplement measures of academic achievement with other measures of student attainment. Results would answer whether secondary schools where student academic achievement is improving at a relatively rapid rate organize and deliver vocational education differently than do schools where student achievement is not improving as fast and whether they have higher levels of student attainment in work-related knowledge and skill. Possible sources of data for identifying schools are accountability systems developed in various states to monitor school improvement and networks. On-site observations and interviews would describe how vocational education fits into the school's curriculum and organization and document teaching methods in vocational and non-vocational courses. This qualitative information would be used to learn what may be distinctive about vocational education in schools where achievement is increasing at a rapid rate. Quantitative data can be used to estimate how changes in student achievement are related to prior changes in school practices. (YLB)

Remedial mathematics has taken several forms over the years--across the nation, within departments, and among mathematics instructors. There is a growing debate over the effectiveness of remedial courses in relationship to eventual student matriculation, which increases institution funding. The use of technology, real-life problems and projects, self-paced study, as well as early diagnoses are critical issues facing those involved in remediation at the community college. This paper focuses on technology, success rates of remediated students, and how to better prepare students for college-level mathematics courses. One key part of the effectiveness of technology in the classroom is student-teacher interaction. This human interaction must continue as the main form of formal instruction with technology acting as a conduit for this to take place efficiently. This report addresses the issue of finding better ways to get students coming out of developmental courses better prepared for college-level work. It states that the focus on rote memorization of formulas, algorithms, and rules is a hindrance to students at the developmental level as they impede progress towards higher-order thinking required in most college-level courses. The paper concludes with the statement that proper placement of students through the ministering of placement tests into appropriate courses, be they developmental or otherwise, is essential to student success. (VWC)

This document was produced as a position paper for background for a summit convened by the San Francisco Unified School District (California) to focus on the education and achievement of African American students. The Education Partnership Summit had the principal goal of developing strategies and techniques to increase the mathematics and reading performance of African American students in the school district. A secondary goal was to strengthen parental, community, peer, and teacher support for the achievement of African American students to equal the national average within 2 years. In addition to the principal address by the Superintendent of Schools and a plenary address by the Mayor of San Francisco, the Summit was to feature five major workshops, focusing reading and mathematics achievement, student attitudes and participation, parent participation, and increasing self-esteem and student achievement. The following sections provide information on topics to be explored in the Summit: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Education Summit Workshops"; (3) "The African American Community and the San Francisco Unified School District"; (4) "A Brief Overview"; (5) "Judge Orrick and the Consent Decree"; (6) "Pursuing Educational Reform and Increasing Student Achievement": (7) "The Effects of Poverty on Educational Achievement"; (8) "Overcoming Poverty"; (9) "Educational Failure and Imprisonment"; (10) "The Economic Rewards of Educational Achievement"; (11) "Effective Administrative Leadership"; (12) "Educational and Political Partnership To Increase Student Achievement"; (13) "Parental Involvement and Student Success"; and (14) "References." Appendixes include a list African American youth achievers in the school district, a description of successful program efforts to support African American youth achievers, and lists of Summit committee members and San Francisco Unified School District's Board of Education members. (Contains 31 references.) (SLD)

This essay considers the interaction between teacher and learner as one which involves providing opportunities for "learning moments," a concept found in the literature on organizational leadership. Learning moments are seen as dynamic events that occur when four complex elements intersect: teacher, learner, environment, and chance. One of the major features of this approach is the disconnection between a teacher's efforts and actual student learning. The model described in this paper proposes a more collaborative effort and encourages viewing teaching as a power ally in, but not directly responsible for, student learning. But this view of learning raises questions about modern approaches to the assessment of teaching and learning in higher education, and it is suggested that rather than focusing on student outcomes, attention should focus on what is done by teachers, students, and institutions within the ambiguous context of learning moments; and that rather than trying to assess when and how learning moments occur, efforts should focus on efforts to assess how well teacher, student, and institution have worked together to create opportunities for learning moments to occur. (Contains 29 references.) (SW)

This paper identifies some of the major obstacles to the integration of university qualifications into New Zealand's National Qualifications Framework. Currently, New Zealand's universities are under pressure to integrate their qualifications into the Framework which employs a method of unit design that is generally more suited to trade and technical training than the general and professional education programs typically offered at universities. The paper examines problems that would arise if the Framework method of defining unit standards were applied to the design of university programs and papers. Several pedagogical problems are identified along with philosophical differences between the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and the universities over matters such as the nature and structure of knowledge, credit transfer, the recognition of prior learning, the transfer of generic skills, and the primacy given by the NZQA to unit standards rather than to total qualification. Instead of universities following the unit standard model of development, an extended framework structure is suggested which emphasizes the total qualification. Such a structure is likely to allow for a more productive relationship to develop between the NZQA and universities. (Contains 21 references.) (JB)

This paper explicates methods to motivate African American students to exhibit attitudes and behaviors that are conducive to high academic achievement. In particular, it argues that educational models must acknowledge and correct students' sense of academic futility. Academic futility measures student perceptions of the extent to which factors in the academic environment inhibit success in school. Student academic futility is the student's feeling that the academic "deck of life" is stacked against them and that there is relatively little they can do to overcome this. The paper describes using popular culture in several interventions as an academic futility intervention tool, particularly materials that use cartoons and illustrations to help students overcome academic futility. Another section describes developing a school climate to impact students' sense of futility in 8 years at the Piney Woods Country Life School, a rural Mississippi private school serving African American students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. This section explains the academic grounding of academic futility intervention approaches and their implementation at Piney Woods, including needs assessment, curriculum development, staff development, student development, physical environment, administration, and resource development. Appendixes contain questions for the academic futility scale, an example of an intervention poem, and research findings. (Contains 37 references.) (JB)

This study is part of a regional study in industrial South Wales on the determinants of participation and non-participation in post-compulsory education and training, with special reference to processes of change in the patterns of these determinants over time and to variations between geographical areas. The study combines contextual analysis of secondary data about education and training providers with a regional study of several generations of families in South Wales (a door-to-door survey of 1,104 representative householders), semi-structured interviews, and taped oral histories conducted in 1996-97. This study reports evidence emphasizing the importance of social background as a determinant of patterns of participation in adult education and training. By investigating the potential predictors of these patterns, the study finds that school-based qualifications are not particularly significant but are themselves predictable from an individual's background characteristics. Lifelong patterns of participation are highly predictable, although the theoretical model used here to explain them also involves individual rationality. The situation is changing, however. Over the 50 years covered by the survey data, while initial education has lengthened, later participation in formal learning has decreased in frequency, duration, and the proportion funded by employers. Thus, while extended initial education is now far less determined by socioeconomic characteristics, including gender, later education and training is slightly more determined by socioeconomic characteristics, especially gender. (Contains 40 references.) (KC)

In response to low graduation and transfer rates among degree-seeking students, Prince George's Community College (PGCC), in Maryland, established a campus-wide retention committee to develop recommendations to improve student achievement. A significant source of information for the committee was a longitudinal student tracking system and a student outcomes typology developed by PGCC's Office of Institutional Research. The typology classifies students as achievers if they receive an award and transfer, transfer only, receive an award only, or have sophomore status in good standing. It further classifies students as persisters if they have fewer than 30 credits earned but are still enrolled, as non-achievers if they are no longer enrolled, and as special motive students if they have short-term and non-degree goals. Using the typology, outcomes as of spring 1994 were determined for 2,386 students who entered PGCC in fall 1990, revealing that nearly 15% (n=351) had earned an award or transferred to a 4-year public college in Maryland, another 13% had achieved sophomore status, and 65% were classified as non-achievers. Based on findings from the analysis, the retention committee developed recommendations related to improving developmental student success, providing support for mathematics instruction, improving departmental retention programs, expanding early intervention initiatives, providing financial support to part-time students, and improving orientation. Contains 17 references. Data tables are appended. (TGI)

The California Assessment of Academic Achievement Act of 1995 mandates the development and adoption of statewide academically rigorous content and performance standards in core curriculum areas. This brochure summarizes the findings of the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) standards task force. The brochure is organized around the following questions: (1) What must effective statewide standards look like? (2) What must be done to avoid the "reinvent-the-wheel" syndrome? (3) What must happen to guarantee a standards-based system? and (4) What questions must still be answered? A glossary, a list of task force members, and an appendix showing the status of academic standards-setting across the 50 states as of April 1995 are included. (LMI)

Schools are forging linkages with noneducational organizations and agencies to address the needs of all students, particularly those who are most vulnerable to the southwest region's economic and social upheaval. This paper attempts to present an overview of the interrelationship between two elements of the community at large--business and education. It explores the changes in expectations for student achievement within the context of the community within which the educational and private sectors coexist. It begins with a general framework of community context for education, followed by a detailed review of the business community's expectations for student achievement and the current mismatch of expectations between private enterprise and education. Finally, the paper highlights evolving business-education partnerships that appear to bridge the gap. Appended is an outline of a model program--Texas Communities in Schools. (51 references) (RR)

This paper analyzes the value of student retention practices, or of flunking students, and presents viable options. Advocates of retention argue that it prevents future academic failure, ensures mastery of the basic skills necessary for success in higher grades, and motivates students. However, others argue that retention is associated with subsequent poor academic achievement, low self-esteem, negative attitudes toward school, and high dropout rates. Overall, research findings demonstrate that retention has no significant, positive, longterm effect on academic achievement. Alternatives to retention are programs that give students individualized time and attention, such as the Arizona At-Risk Pilot Project. Since 1987, the 42 K-3 demonstrations sites have experienced decreased dropout rates, improved achievement scores, and reduced absenteeism. However, pilot districts in general lacked specific retention polices, definitions, and criteria. A conclusion is that alternative programs are more cost effective than retention in terms of economic and personal costs. Seven recommendations for policy and practice regarding student retention are presented. Two tables are included. (LMI)

Lessons learned from Onderwijs un Sociaal Milieu (OSM), or Education and Social Origin, the largest compensation and enrichment program ever developed in The Netherlands, are described in this paper. Although the program did not raise lower class students' standardized test scores to the national level, the program had overly ambitious goals and the advantages of structure and efficiency. Conclusions are that: (1) The OSM had a limited scope and should involve more schools and other bureaucratic and professional partners; (2) demographic circumstances have changed drastically since OSM began; (3) successful implementation is no guarantee for better student achievement; and (4) diversification of research activities should not be confused with major breakthroughs into the outlines and principles of OSM. The paradox of OSM may be that the strength of its explicit rationality in outline and infrastructure lessened its ability to adequately respond to the ideals of equity in a rapidly changing school population that needs frequent diagnosis of deprivation and underachievement. (Contains 20 references.) (LMI)

Five years of state test results for Pennsylvania are examined, focusing on differences among elementary schools in which a majority of students do not master basic learning skills. Data are provided for 1,505 elementary schools in about 500 districts. The largest learning problems occur in about 10% of the schools; these schools have been consistently low for the past 5 years. More specifically, for about 150 of the schools, over half of the students score below minimum competence every year. The data reveal a stable set of relationships among schools and between school achievement and other factors. Socioeconomic differences of families are the major predictors of achievement differences among schools. Currently, student/teacher ratios are largely unrelated to students' needs or achievement growth. Research to establish the student achievement benefits of higher "per student spending" is difficult, since most spending variation among the 500 school districts in Pennsylvania is due to differences in teacher salaries or student/teacher ratios. Increasing teacher salaries could increase the quality of new teachers hired in the 1990's if valid teacher quality indicators are available and used by districts. Smaller classes could help if instruction is designed to take advantage of smaller class sizes and if use of smaller classes is managed. Four tables and two figures are included. Eight reports in the Pennsylvania Educational Policy Studies series are listed. (RLC)

The role of statewide testing programs and the direction Pennsylvania should take in statewide educational assessment are discussed. The major purposes proposed for statewide testing programs are: (1) informing state policy; (2) curriculum reform; and (3) accountability. The ultimate purpose of statewide testing programs is to improve student learning in the state's public schools. The state has the constitutional responsibility to provide a thorough and efficient system of public education. Results from Pennsylvania's Testing for Essential Learning and Literacy Skills (TELLS) program indicate that the present system is not adequate. It must be recognized that a test alone is not an accountability system. Student assessment should be designed so that the state and the districts are accountable for improving student educational outcomes. In designing a new state assessment system, Pennsylvania must: correct prior misuse of tests; establish a curriculum syllabus that tests must reflect; augment multiple-choice tests with other formats in order to assess a wide spectrum of desired student skills and knowledge. It is concluded that states should monitor outcomes at the district level, districts should monitor outcomes at the school level, and schools should monitor outcomes at the classroom level. Because districts differ in specific educational tasks, it is recommended that districts be held accountable for improving student performance, but not for the level of student performance. (SLD)

In schools today, tests are being used for a variety of reasons, such as an indication of school accountability and also to track students, label them, or place them in specialized programs. Excessive dependence on test outcomes can adversely effect students' educational goals and contribute to their disengagement from education, because (among other factors) students are not helped to understand the value of education. One approach to solve this dilemma is for all educational stakeholders to work in close collaboration by fulfilling such responsibilities as ensuring that parents understand that students come to school ready and willing to learn, parents build their children's confidence and self-esteem, teachers use varied methods of instruction and assessment, administrators provide incentives to stimulate learning, community members serve as student mentors and tutors, and policymakers minimize the occasions when students must participate in standardized testing. (5 references) (EJS)

Magnet schools are district-wide, open-enrollment institutions that are thematically organized around such subject areas as science and mathematics, the performing arts, or career areas such as engineering. They are largely non-selective; that is, students who apply are evaluated primarily on the basis of their interests and motivation rather than their academic record or test scores. The first such school in this country was Boston Latin, founded in 1635; several others founded later are also well-known. Originally designed to serve the needs of a small intellectual elite, magnet schools now have the twin focus of improving educational quality while increasing racial integration. They also provide a setting for teacher-generated reform initiatives. In 1981-82 there were 1,018 elementary and secondary magnet schools in the United States. Continuing research and analysis to increase our knowledge base about long-term effects of magnet schools should be supported by the Federal government. Furthermore, the Federal government should support a large scale magnet school demonstration program of three magnets for each standard metropolitan statistical area, plus several additional magnets per State based on population; this plan would more than double the existing number of magnets and lay the foundation for long-term incremental change. (CJM)

Telling teachers what to do through state and district standard-setting policies is seen as antithetical to empowered teachers and a strengthened teaching profession. Policies for empowering teachers are less well articulated; teacher autonomy is often thought to be the automatic product of an absence of external constraints and guidelines. An analysis is provided of whether good teaching of worthwhile content to all students is better served by standard-setting initiatives or through leaving teachers alone. The challenge is to set standards which guarantee good teaching of worthwhile content to all students. To do this will require standard-setting activities which preserve, or strengthen, the responsibility that teachers and students accept together for student learning. One way to do this might be to shift external standard setting away from reliance on rewards and sanctions and toward reliance on authority. External standard-setting activities would become matters of persuasion, not issues of compliance. The key seems to be involving teachers seriously in the business of setting standards for student achievement. Through teacher participation the standards would take on authority; teachers themselves would be telling teachers what to do. (Author/JD)

The proposed theoretical framework emphasizes the interaction between sociocultural, linguistic, and school program factors in explaining the academic and cognitive development of bilingual children. It is theorized that bilingualism that is cognitively and academically beneficial can be achieved only on the basis of adequately developed first language (L1) skills. This position is based on two hypotheses. The "developmental interdependence" hypothesis proposes that the development of competence in a second language (L2) is partially a function of the type of competence already developed in L1 at the time when intensive exposure to L2 begins. The "threshold" hypothesis proposes that there may be threshold levels of linguistic competence that bilingual children must attain both in order to avoid cognitive disadvantages and to allow the potentially beneficial aspects of bilingualism to influence their cognitive and academic functioning. This model of bilingual education explains educational outcomes as a function of the interaction between background, child input, and educational treatment factors. Attention is also directed to problems with bilingual education program evaluations that fail to consider these potential interactions. A review of relevant literature and studies is included. (Author/SW)

Focusing on the academic dimensions of student transfer from two- to four-year institutions, this report seeks to provide a foundation for institutional and academic policy decisions affecting the transfer experience and student achievement. Part I presents a policy statement on academic achievement and transfer and a nine-point agenda for action. The agenda calls on two- and four-year institutions to: (1) establish a firm commitment to transfer; (2) enrich the connection between teaching and transfer; (3) revitalize academic relationships between institutions; (4) manage transfer more effectively; (5) identify and realize transfer goals; (6) inform students fully; (7) issue a clear public call for improved transfer; (8) acknowledge the importance of financial support; and (9) establish firm expectations of transfer students. Suggested activities for implementing each of the points are attached. Part II presents a background paper by James C. Palmer and Judith S. Eaton. The paper begins by examining the implications of transfer education for the mission and values of two- and four-year institutions. After reviewing existing research on student transfer, the paper examines strategies commonly used to improve transfer, including inter-institutional arrangements and special student services. The role of faculty in transfer is discussed next. After stressing the importance of building an empirical base to assess transfer improvement projects, concluding comments reviewing the implications of a reemphasis on transfer. A 116-item bibliography is included. (PAA)

This essay, the first in a series about the priorities of the professoriate, offers a vision of the new American scholar. The first part of the essay examines the numerous activities that surround faculty work and how they relate, in a changing external environment, to the role of the scholar. The stage is set by defining how higher education relates to the larger purposes of American society and by noting the assumptions and consensus within which academic professionals have traditionally operated. The essay then examines how the contexts of faculty work are being transformed in the 1990s by financial constraints, the technological environment, and basic assumptions about work itself. The second part of the essay deals with how these changes affect and necessitate rethinking faculty careers. It discusses changes in the academic workplace, the shifting concept of scholarship, the interdependence of teaching and research, the relationship between personal and professional needs, interactive approaches to learning, working within a collaborative organization, the career implications of crossing knowledge domains and moving in and out of the academy, and tenure and alternative employment arrangements. (Contains 23 references.) (CH)

This article offers four explanations of why outcome-based education (OBE) has proven to be so controversial. First, OBE requires consideration of the central purposes of compulsory public education, on which there is sharp philosophical disagreement, and the outcome-defining process involves input from many groups with many different perspectives, including students, parents, educators, higher education institutions, employers, community leaders, taxpayers, and policymakers. Second, conflict has arisen between two kinds of OBE and between the interest groups allied with one version or the other. The original version of OBE confined itself fairly narrowly to academic achievement, while the other version (known as transformational OBE) encompasses not only academic knowledge and competence but also affective and attitudinal dimensions of learning. Third, OBE is not "just" about outcomes, but involves a relationship between outcomes and inputs, which are often questions of cost. Fourth, OBE has become a contest for control over the "culture" of education, emphasizing not the actual goals proposed for inclusion in OBE but who proposes them. The four explanations are designed to help construct a framework for understanding and engaging in the OBE debate. (JDD)

Despite similar cultural roots and standards of living, the secondary education systems of France, the Netherlands, England, Scotland, and the United States produce remarkably different levels of achievement in mathematics and science. An examination of achievement at a given age shows that the French and Dutch have learned the most, Americans the least, and British somewhere in between. Section 2 examines the proximate causes of achievement differentials among the French, Dutch, British, and American secondary students. It concludes that the achievement differences are caused by differences in the quality of teacher inputs and the quality and quantity of student time-and-effort inputs. Section 3 argues that changes in the structure of rewards are as important as changes in the level of rewards. A conclusion is that students, parents, teachers, and administrators in France and the Netherlands have much stronger incentives for academic excellence than do their counterparts in the United States. The French and the Dutch models of secondary education combine in one system many of the most drastic reforms that have been proposed for the United States: (1) externally set, subject-specific achievement exams taken by almost all high school students; (2) parental choice of uppersecondary school and special field of study with money following students; (3) 30 percent higher teacher salaries and rigorous standards for entry into secondary school teaching; (4) high standards for admission to postsecondary education; and (5) mastery learning with strictly enforced sanctions in cases of failure. Four exhibits and 6 tables are included. The appendix describes the structure of the French secondary system. (Contains 70 references.) (LMI)

Development of a common credit accumulation and transfer (CAT) system for the post-16 learner has been proposed in Great Britain. The rationale for this system is to increase the participation and achievement of learners over age 16, to improve access to learning opportunities, and to facilitate the development of core knowledge and skills. The post-16 CAT framework should use the open system, in which users adopt a set of standards on a voluntary basis because it offers mutual benefits. Work on the development of a post-16 credit framework as an open system has established definitions and specifications of outcomes and units, a methodology for credit valuation of units, and an initial proposal about the number of levels that would be required. The qualifications within this framework would be based upon groups of outcomes, to be described as units. Credits are awarded for successful achievement of a set of outcomes combined into a unit, regardless of the actual time involved or the mode of learning. Units at the same level can be given different credit values dependent upon the extent of achievement they require, thus removing the necessity for an artificial and possibly damaging requirement for units to be of the same size. The post-16 CAT framework could be used as the basis of a range of developments in curriculum and qualifications. The Further Education Unit has identified key criteria to be met by a post-16 CAT framework. The proposed framework needs to be evaluated against these criteria. (YLB)

This position paper offers a response to the National Assessment of Educational Progress's (NAEP) 1998 Civics Report Card to the nation. The paper lists the following major points: the NAEP findings are ground for concern, calling for action to remedy a serious deficiency in the education of citizens; failure of students to do well on the NAEP study is a direct consequence of the widespread lack of adequate curricular requirements, teacher preparation, and instruction in civics and government; good programs in civics and government produce good results and are the solution to the shortcomings identified in the NAEP results; and there is a need for a national campaign to insure that effective instruction in civics and government is provided to every student in every school in the nation. (BT)

This paper focuses on African education and socialization processes and how these have evolved and spread through the African cultural diaspora to other parts of the world, before, during, and after the slave trade and the colonial period. The history of education on the African continent is explored, followed by African American education, and the educational and sociological patterns that have prevented educational advancement and ensured domination to some extent. The paper then looks at how to correct the damage to the teaching and learning processes and addresses areas of the teacher education curriculum. A number of programmatic suggestions are offered, including: (1) practicum sites in schools where the overwhelming majority of teachers are successful with African American students; (2) a valid internship with a master teacher; (3) master professors in teacher education programs; (4) an appropriate cultural knowledge base; (5) study of the origin, dynamics, and consequences of white supremacy; (6) performance criteria and professional knowledge for trainers; (7) theory and its application for trainees; (8) judging the quality of teaching; and (9) networking in the professional community. The study suggests that the cycle of school failure for traditionally excluded students can be broken by looking closely at teachers and teacher educators who do not fail and then imitating them. (Contains 87 references.) (ND)

This document is a transcript of a forum held in Washington, D.C. on June 6, 2006 on performance-based compensation in public education. The discussion was introduced by Eugenia Kemble, executive director of the Albert Shanker Institute, forum sponsor. The forum was moderated by Milton Goldberg and featured speakers Edward Lawler (director, Center for Effective Organizations, University of Southern California Marshall School of Business) and Lewis Solmon (President, Teacher Advancement Program Foundation). Although the issue of performance-based pay is one of the more controversial issues in education, as many as 30 states have legislation or regulations talking to this issue, reflecting the practice of the Institute to select for discussion issues where there is an apparent departure between what research indicates and what may be happening in practice. Key issues to consider in rewarding performance (the individual; a group or a collection of individuals; bonuses versus salary increases; recognizing skills) were discussed. In counterpoint, lack of success of research into performance pay in education, the risk of incentivizing certain behaviors to the exclusion of other behaviors, and indicators that performance pay is insufficient motivation were also discussed. Question and answer periods followed each speaker, with participants concluding that the topic is an issue that needs to be sustained, as does that of making major improvements in the way schools are managed, administered and organized to improve student achievement.

Although objectively measurable achievement of outcomes is an important guide to the quality of education, the process of defining and assuring the quality of technical education and training must include consideration for the context in which technical education and training occurs. It is also critical to remember that education has two sets of clients--students and employers. The following are among 10 policy recommendations that the National Center for Occupational Education has issued regarding defining and evaluating the quality of technical education: (1) view secondary and postsecondary technical as two distinct, related, but consecutive enterprises requiring distinct but related public policy; (2) devise more flexible approaches to programming and assessment of the various institutions delivering postsecondary technical education, including community colleges; (3) develop measures of success at the postsecondary level in the context of the complex nature of its student body and institutional clientele; (4) revise federal policy on funding, training, and financial aid to reflect the increasing relevance and value of noncredit and short-term technical education and training; (5) establish separate expectations and accountability systems for secondary and postsecondary technical education; and (6) stimulate the expansion of programs facilitating coordination of secondary and postsecondary technical education, including tech prep and articulation. (Contains 20 references.) (MN)

The MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) Committee on Lifelong Learning held consultations at more than 14 rural and urban locations throughout Alberta to gather stakeholders' and community members' views on the need for lifelong learning and ways of promoting it. Participants were asked to identify strategies to encourage and enable adults to return to learning and thereby improve their employment potential and realize their career goals, as well as to share information on learning activities and needs in their communities. More than 400 individuals participated in the consultations. Their suggestions fell primarily into the following categories: (1) ensure that students in the basic learning system are successful in their learning; (2) increase opportunities for adult learning; (3) strengthen community-based learning; (4) provide special supports for literacy, English-as-a-second-language, and other special needs programs; (5) develop a directory of learning programs and supports available to Albertans; (6) develop better cooperation and collaboration among learning providers; (7) encourage greater employer support for lifelong learning; (8) improve standards and certification to improve facilitation of lifelong learning; (9) fund lifelong learning; and (10) promote lifelong learning. The concerns raised during the individual meetings varied, depending on whether the meeting was in a rural or urban location and participants' knowledge of lifelong learning. (MN)

Advances in information technology (IT) are reshaping the U.S. labor market. The demand for workers who can read and understand complex material, think analytically, and use technology efficiently will continue to increase. Congress established the 21st Century Workforce Commission to assess current and future demand for IT workers and the education and training needed to fill IT jobs. By conducting field hearings and site visits and reviewing pertinent research, the commission identified nine keys to success that leaders at all levels can apply to build a highly skilled workforce prepared for high-technology job opportunities in the 21st century. The keys are as follows: (1) building 21st century literacy; (2) exercising leadership through partnerships; (3) forming learning linkages for youth; (4) identifying pathways to IT jobs; (5) increasing acquisition of IT skills; (6) expanding continuous learning; (7) shaping a flexible immigration policy for skilled IT workers; (8) raising student achievement; (9) and making technology access and Internet connectivity universal. During its work, the commission found many examples of how stakeholders at all levels exerted the leadership to put the keys into practice. (Ten tables/figures are included. Concluding the report are a list of the commission members and 85 endnotes.) (MN)

The goal of this paper is to articulate a theoretical basis for work with at-risk students and to provide a foundation for new methods for teachers who will be working with this population. The topic is narrowed to concerns related to academic achievement. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that external conditions are major antecedent settings for the at-risk condition. However, rather than focus on external factors, intrinsic factors that influence students' attribution toward learning in spite of context are examined. Learning approaches that strengthen academic self-efficacy, improve self-concept, and help students move toward a more internal locus of control provide a better platform for individuals to make lasting changes in their beliefs about learning. Moving responsibility back to students allows them to gain control over their learning and reinforces antecedents of personal agency. Learning requires a dynamic tension between conflicting ideas, yet in classrooms where the emphasis is entirely on objective meaning, students are not encouraged to relate their personal subjective understandings. Human agency and motivation, psychological constructs, cognitive theories, traditional origins of agency, and student centered leaders are examined. Contains 25 references. (JBJ)