In the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) region, state and local governments spend about 10 percent of their combined annual budgets on colleges and universities. Whether this is the right funding level during a time of growing enrollments, when states are working to boost education participation and close achievement gaps, is a question…

Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states face new challenges as they adapt to the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This report reviews SREB states' progress in strengthening their accountability systems to ensure that their teacher preparation programs are producing quality teachers. This report identifies what…

This report reveals that the 16 member states of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) are making progress in supporting new classroom teachers, but if effective, well qualified teachers are to be recruited and retained, even greater support needs to be provided. Teachers will need more and better training as many schools cope with rising…

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) publication "Standards for Quality Online Teaching" (ED494117) outlines 11 standards states can use to guide academic preparation, content knowledge, online skills and delivery, and other elements of quality online teaching. As a companion report, this publication examines the essential components of…

This publication examines what qualifications are needed to be a quality online teacher and outlines specific standards for academic preparation, content knowledge, online skills and delivery, and more. The standards for quality online teaching in this report were developed by knowledgeable, experienced resource persons from K-12 and postsecondary…

This report organizes information from the forum in terms of how Oklahoma fares in building students' transitions, what challenges it faces in improving transitions and what actions it can take to improve students' high school to college and career transitions. On February 17, 2006, 33 Oklahoma state educational and policy leaders participated in…

The primary objective of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) "High Schools That Work" ("HSTW") is to help schools improve so more students can reach their full potential. The "HSTW" Follow-up Study of 2004 Graduates is one measure that gauges how well schools have prepared their students for college and careers. Students' reflections on…

Students benefit from a year or more gain in student achievement when urban district and high school leaders commit to the implementation of the "High Schools That Work" ("HSTW") design. It is not enough to be a "HSTW" site--it is about taking effective actions to implement the design. Schools that do take action witness significant progress in…

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) follows education budgets and legislation during regular and special legislative sessions. The Legislative Reports follow education and budget issues from governors' proposals through final legislative actions in each of the 16 SREB states. The reports include bill numbers and legislative Web site…

The "Making Middle Grades Work" ("MMGW") school improvement design consists of a framework of Goals, Key Practices and Key Conditions for accelerating learning and setting higher standards. It recommends research-based practices for schools to improve academic and exploratory instruction and sustained student achievement. "MMGW" research has shown…

This report reviews 75 high schools in the "High Schools that Work" (HSTW) network that made statistically significant gains in at least two of three areas reading, mathematics and science--between 2002 and 2004 on the "HSTW" Assessments. In these schools, all groups of students improved achievement--regardless of race, ethnicity or socioeconomic…

While educational results have improved in many areas, a high percentage of North Carolina students are not graduating from high school, raising concerns about the state's ability to be economically competitive with other states and countries. All students need to attain the knowledge and skills necessary to be competitive and prosperous in the…

Given the urgency for increased student achievement, it would seem that redesigning principal preparation programs around leadership practices that have an impact on students' learning would be a high priority in every university. Yet, it is not. Despite some movement in some areas, the overall pace of change has been too slow, the changes are not…

The fastest-growing racial/ethnic groups in the nation and the SREB region -- Hispanics and African-Americans -- have below-average education attainment rates. If these gaps are not eliminated, continued increases in overall education progress will be impeded -- an unprecedented stall in the historical rise of America's education level. This…

This document is an important companion to the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) report "Getting Serious About High School Graduation." Together, they make powerful statements to policymakers and education leaders about the problems in high schools and what can be done to fix them. Teachers, policymakers, and parents have long agreed that…