Class size may be important in achievement, but it is not the only decision for policymakers. Class size plays a role, but the role is effectively fulfilled only when the other players are successful. Therefore, it is appropriate to address several questions: What goals are to be accomplished; what is the best distribution of personnel related to…

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…

This article focuses on a method of policy analysis that has evolved from the previous articles in this issue. The first section, "Toward a Theory of Educational Production," identifies concepts from science and achievement production to be incorporated into this policy analysis method. Building on Kuhn's (1970) discussion regarding paradigms, the…

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…

Combining explanatory variables into factors instead of using individual variables in an achievement production function is advocated in several of the articles in this special issue. This article provides a brief overview of factor analysis explaining and illustrating the reasoning for this technique. There is a linchpin: Factor analysis is an…

Each preservice or inservice teacher who faces the prospect of student diversity in clinical experiences or practice settings does so with an individual set of assumptions about cultures and languages that differ from his or her own. Mezirow (1991) maintained that reflections on such assumptions and presuppositions about oneself and others can…

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) was founded in 1954 to serve as an independent body in promoting high quality teacher preparation programs. Its mission is to ensure accredited institutions produce high quality educators, administrators, and specialists able to meet the needs of all learners. Institutions seeking…

Standard 4-Diversity of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) requires that preservice teachers, or candidates, demonstrate and apply proficiencies related to diversity. To that end, preservice teachers need to develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to enable them to successfully work with diverse…

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) is the premier teacher education program accreditation body. In addition to reviewing teacher preparation programs in institutions of higher learning, NCATE also reviews school administration programs and other school specialist programs, including school counseling programs. The…

To be prepared to teach in an urban setting, preservice teachers must exit their teacher preparation program with a professional disposition toward equity and social justice as well as the knowledge and skills required to meet the needs of all students in their classroom. The National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)…

Accreditation bodies for institutions of higher education like the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) require colleges and universities to create campus climates and experiences for students that foster diversity. In particular, schools of education have the…

In March 2007, Florida Atlantic University hosted a joint NCATE/Florida Department of Education site visit. This successful site visit and following Unit Accreditation Board report resulted in full NCATE accreditation with only one weakness cited. The weakness related to the implementation of the College's assessment system at the Advanced Levels.…

Elementary and secondary students can be impacted by a number of risk factors, all of which can have a negative influence on their academic success. To that end, the identification of risk factors is an important first step in closing achievement gaps. For example, clear evidence of an achievement gap can be found in Indiana's high school…

Increasing high school graduation rates is a systemic issue, not just a school level issue. The district office therefore has a key role to play in narrowing the graduation gap and ensuring that more students earn their high school diplomas well-equipped for college or career. This article focuses first on what school districts have typically done…

In a 1991 report, the Indian Nations at Risk Task Force documented a lack of Native educators as role models for Native American students and set a goal of doubling their number by the year 2000. Under-representation of Native American educators remains an issue today particularly with regard to school leaders (Planty et al. 2009; Snyder and…