The educational achievement distribution of Israeli students is characterized by a low level of achievement with a wide achievement gap between high and low achievers compared with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD average. In fact, Israeli student achievement is characterized by the widest gap among the OECD…

The purpose of this study was to assess the equity and adequacy of the NYC schools through analysis of the distribution of key resources before and after its 32 decentralized community school districts were recentralized into ten administrative regions in 2003. The study used a framework for assessing adequacy based on economic, sociological, and…

This article is an update of a previous study by the author which examined the growth of elementary and public school revenues for school years 1982-1983 through 1991-1992 (Alexander 1997). Using the same framework, this study provides an analysis of the factors accounting for changes in real per-pupil revenues across the 50 states and the…

Indiana has a long history of school funding issues and distribution formula revisions. The most recent modifications to the formula were made between 2005 and 2009. One of the more controversial revisions was the removal of the minimum guarantee from the formula. As a result of these changes, three school districts filed a lawsuit challenging the…

With the passage of a state constitutional amendment in 2002, Florida school districts faced the challenge of meeting class size mandates in core subjects, such as mathematics, English, and science by the 2010-2011 school year, or face financial penalties. Underpinning the amendment's goals was the argument that smaller classes are more effective…

The previous articles on class size and other productivity research paint a complex and confusing picture of the relationship between policy variables and student achievement. Missing is a conceptual scheme capable of combining the seemingly unrelated research and dissimilar estimates of effect size into a unified structure for policy analysis and…

The author believes that a unified theory might provide ideas helpful for improving research; professional training and practice; and therefore, student achievement. Little attention was paid to how several variables might work together and there is little discussion regarding how they might work together. The author stresses that there are…

Online learning has changed education in many ways. This change was not mandated, but instead filled a need expressed by students. A problem with this shift toward online teaching is that it has happened randomly and irregularly within K-12 systems. Demands from students for online learning at both K-12 and higher education levels have not always…

Building and sustaining a school and district culture that has a technology "growth mindset" and the implementation of processes that support a technology-specific culture in which, "the role of the leader is to ensure that the organization develops relationships that help produce desirable results," would ensure that teachers and principals…

Virtual schools are as different from each other as traditional schools are different when one moves from community to community or state to state. A virtual school typically offers a learning experience via the Internet, may or may not be supported by government funds, and may or may not be accredited. They have been in existence for quite some…

For nearly four decades, school finance has become progressively more central in school reform efforts aimed at improving student performance. At the same time, the focus of many school business officials and policymakers has turned to efficient uses of current resources in lieu of uniform increases in school funding. With regard to improving…

Reports results of a survey of 116 local and state school board members, school superintendents, senior high and elementary principals, and higher education professors in Texas. Subjects chose between paired statements, prioritizing competencies that they felt should be included in a training program for board members. (CH)

The study gathered data from 144 Holmes Group institutional representatives concerning their readiness to adopt reform changes suggested by the Holmes and Carnegie reports. Changes receiving strong support involved (1) certification/licensing, (2) teacher power, (3) K-12 teacher education relationships, and (4) all Holmes commitments. (CH)

The author defines lifelong learning and discusses components of the process, including learners, providers, society, and public policy. He considers the role of higher education in lifelong learning. (CH)

Discusses Bush administration's plan for education, building on/adding to Reagan emphases: maintenance of high visibility on federal agenda; preference for unrestricted federal grants-in-aid; parental choice for school selection; excellence versus equity; state versus federal authority; view of education as instrumental to achievement of other…