In Chapter Five, Alisa Belzer, Cassandra Drennon and Cristine Smith provide an overview of the challenges facing state-level professional development systems. The authors begin the chapter with a brief history of professional development in adult basic education, noting shifts in the funding and priority of professional development in the field.…

In Chapter Six, Linda Shohet offers a description of the adult literacy and learning system in Canada. In providing a historical overview of the development of the field, Shohet notes key political events that have influenced the funding and development of services for adults. Through her description, the author reveals the complexity and…

In this chapter, Marcia Drew Hohn provides an overview of organizational development theory for adult educators interested in applying the lessons of such theory to the strengthening of ABE programs and systems. She begins the chapter with a brief history of the development of organizational theory, noting the progression from a mechanistic…

Considered recommendations made by R. Linn (2000) and made a preliminary determination of the degree of cohesion between the Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment, and Accountability (ACTAAP) program and those recommendations. The ACTAAP appears to be an exemplary program in the early stages of development. (SLD)

Analyzed questions related to education from a statewide poll of citizens in Arkansas. Overall, views of Arkansans are roughly aligned with those of the United States as a whole. About half of the 775 respondents support school vouchers, most believe teacher pay raises should be related to student performance, and more than three-fifths believe…

Studied the effects of student socioeconomic status (SES), using free- or reduced price-lunch as a measure of SES, on student performance on the Arkansas Fourth Grade benchmark Examination. Results from about 32,000 students indicate that direct comparisons of schools without regard to percentage of free and reduced lunch participation would not…

Conducted a national survey of deans, faculty, and department chairs to isolate what each group perceived as important skills for a department chair to have. Responses of 30 deans, 198 faculty and 56 chairs show some consistency among ratings, with some gender differences and statistically significant differences in seven of eight administration…

Provides an update on the current status of high stakes testing and accountability programs in the United States, conducts a review of important litigation related to high stakes accountability, and highlights best practices for policy makers based on the development of the Arkansas accountability program. (SLD)

This issue brief examines the knowledge and skills teachers need in order to teach in an environment of accountability and standards-based reform. The Education Policy Reform Research Institute (EPRRI) conducted a national symposium that resulted in the identification and validation of essential knowledge and key skills that all educators need to…

This issue brief presents the views of 13 individuals, all in special education leadership positions in selected urban school districts in the United States, concerning the opportunities and challenges their districts face in implementing key NCLBA requirements for students with disabilities. Results from a survey and two focus groups reveal that…

The Educational Policy Reform Research Institute (EPRRI), with funding from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs, investigates the impact of educational accountability reforms on students with disabilities and on special education. EPRRI addresses the research needs of policymakers and other key stakeholders by…

The purpose of this topical review is to examine the current state of accountability policies that impact students with disabilities who are educated in special schools and settings. For the purpose of this review, special schools and settings are defined as public or private settings outside of comprehensive K-12 school buildings. This review…

The Educational Policy Reform Research Institute (EPRRI) and the US Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) held a policy symposium entitled "Ensuring Accountability for All Children in an Era of Standards-Based Reform: Alternate Achievement Standards" February 4-6, 2004 at the Crystal City Marriott in Arlington,…

Introduces various aspects of truth theories in the context of action research, focusing on truth as correspondence, truth as successful practice, and truth as coherence and paradigmatic truth. The paper describes how action research uncovers the truth, discusses pen discourse as a validity criterion (the truth as consensus), and looks at the…

Describes a course at one Argentinean university, founded on Freirian principles, called Didactics of Everyday School Practice, which encourages student teachers to reflect on how their practice involves real action toward utopia, thus empowering them to become autonomous learners so that as teachers, they will never deny others the right to speak…