This book takes a hard look at the professional, technical, and public policy issues surrounding student achievement and teacher effectiveness--and shows how testing and accountability can play a vital role in improving American schools.--Provided by the publisher.

Despite more than 15 years of effort, it is widely acknowledged that internal reform of the public schools has produced little, if any, success. This has led to renewed interest in alternative forms of educational delivery to devolve decision-making through charter schools, public and private voucher plans, contracting out educational services, and home schooling. However, such reforms have largely been resisted by public school interest groups, including...

"This book helps the reader to understand and mediate the debates that arise when gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, intersex, and queer/questioning (GLBTIQ) students and their families ask for equal treatment from the schools and are opposed by conservative parents. Sexual Orientation and School Policy is a case study of one school districts' attempt to adopt and implement policies that include sexual orientation. This book describes the work...

The authors call on the need to combine education with capitalism. Drawing on insights and findings from history, psychology, sociology, political science, and economics, they show how, if our schools were moved from the public sector to the private sector, they could once again do a superior job providing K-12 education.--Provided by the publisher.

This fully revised new edition probes the state of Australian higher education and its future. Peter Coaldrake and Lawrence Stedman's seminal and comprehensive analysis of the challenges faced by the higher education sector has been updated with revisions and a new chapter that addresses current policy and proposed reforms. They argue that neither the market nor central government will be able to shape higher education in an optimal way. Facing greater...

For nearly 100 years the federal government left education almost entirely in the hands of the citizenry and state and local governments. But in 1979, with the creation of the US Department of Education, a sprawling bureaucracy with 153 programs, 5,000 employees, and an annual budget of approximately $70 billion, the federal government intruded itself into almost every area of K-12 and higher education. What caused this dramatic transformation? Has...

"Common Core State Standards (CCSS) bring state curricula into alignment with each other by following the principles of standards-based education reform. The big idea behind CCSS is to, "provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them." Navigating Implementation of the Common Core State Standards, the first of a four book series, provides background on...

"In a recent international comparative study, the United States public schools did not fare well with the rest of the world. To the disappointment of many, the No Child Left Behind law did little to improve student achievement. Nevertheless, a small pocket of poverty schools worked against the odds of limited resources and performed to new heights of academic excellence. These high-poverty, high-performing schools were studied to identify the common...

"Lately, our nation's strategy for improving our schools is mostly limited to "getting tough" with teachers. Blaming teachers for poor outcomes, we spend almost all of our energy trying to control teachers' behavior and school operations. But what if all of this is exactly the opposite of what is needed? What if teachers are the answer and not the problem? What if trusting teachers, and not controlling them, is the key to school success?Examining...

"Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for mathematics are rigorous. Now that most states have accepted the CCSS, they need to first understand the CCSS and then design a way to implement the CCSS in mathematics. This third title in series discusses the rigor of the standards; reviews learning progressions; defines practice standards, and focuses on developing mathematical problems to create higher math development. Volume one is Navigating Implementation,...