Analyzes Portuguese educational policy as it is developing after the 1974 end to a long dictatorship. Uses educational system indicators proposed by L. D'Hainaut (198). (SLD)

Determined the status of women administrators in Alabama in terms of demographic and career patterns through a survey completed by 42% of the state's principals. In Alabama, women principals are likely to be newer in the position, to have come directly from the classroom, and had less mobility in acquiring the position. (SLD)

Studied whether student scores on standardized tests represent reasonable measures of instructional quality using ratings by 10 parents and 11 educators (school principals) of the degree to which test items from a nationally marketed standardized achievement test represent the content actually taught. On average, raters felt that test items…

Provides examples of current work in social science disciplines that address the policy research argument that understanding the impact of changes in human numbers on social and cultural life requires moving beyond current standards of empirical categories. Discusses enumeration categories suggested by the United Nations. (SLD)

Studied perceived and actual leadership of five school district superintendents in California who focused on curriculum and instruction as the core technology of education. Identified four attributes superintendents thought were essential to their success as instructional leaders. Responses of principals and school board members to a questionnaire…

Examines the purposes of large-scale assessment programs, outlines the dangers and benefits of these assessments, considers the research evidence about the consequences of assessment, discusses how to evaluate assessment quality, and presents some ideas about the variables that influence the probabilities for good and bad assessment. (SLD)

Analysis of the first government inspections of Jewish schools in England by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) shows mismatches between the schools' declared aims for Jewish Studies, and their practices, as well as problems in the teaching of Hebrew. (SLD)

In 1988, a California study by Friedkin and Necochea confirmed an interaction between size and socioeconomic status such that large schools benefited affluent students, whereas small schools benefited impoverished students. This report describes a replication applying the model to West Virginia schools and school districts. In order to control for…