In the context of outcomes-based school governance, statewide exit exams are often expected to have a positive effect on student achievements if schools and teachers use the performance feedback from the exams for school, instructional, and professional development. However, very little is known about whether the exams are used for development at all and how this is affected by factors in the exam system and organizational aspects of schools. In a comparison of Finland, Ireland, and the Netherlands, the study therefore investigates how different exam systems and their functions, the conditions at school level, and the use of the exams for school and classroom development are associated. The study uses expert interviews and a questionnaire survey with principals and teachers. The role statewide exit exams can play in education systems is analyzed from a governance perspective and a school development perspective and discussed with an international comparative view. Esther Dominique Klein, born in 1982, Dr. phil., is research assistant at the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the University of Duisburg-Essen. Her main research interests lie in the areas of school system and school development research and international comparative education.

An in-depth look at academically selective public high schools in America What is the best education for exceptionally able and high-achieving youngsters? Can the United States strengthen its future intellectual leadership, economic vitality, and scientific prowess without sacrificing equal opportunity? There are no easy answers but, as Chester Finn and Jessica Hockett show, for more than 100,000 students each year, the solution is to enroll in an academically selective public high school. Exam Schools is the first-ever close-up look at this small, sometimes controversial, yet crucial segment of American public education. This groundbreaking book discusses how these schools work--and their critical role in nurturing the country's brightest students. The 165 schools identified by Finn and Hockett are located in thirty states, plus the District of Columbia. While some are world renowned, such as Boston Latin and Bronx Science, others are known only in their own communities. The authors survey the schools on issues ranging from admissions and student diversity to teacher selection. They probe sources of political support, curriculum, instructional styles, educational effectiveness, and institutional autonomy. Some of their findings are surprising: Los Angeles, for example, has no "exam schools" while New York City has dozens. Asian-American students are overrepresented—but so are African-American pupils. Culminating with in-depth profiles of eleven exam schools and thoughtful reflection on policy implications, Finn and Hockett ultimately consider whether the country would be better off with more such schools. At a time of keen attention to the faltering education system, Exam Schools sheds positive light on a group of schools that could well provide a transformative roadmap for many of America's children.

Generating understanding into how to more routinely foster evidence-informed teaching practice globally, this ground-breaking handbook is vital reading for educational researchers, and especially those working close to practice, in all settings.

Education, Capitalism and the Global Crisis focuses on Andrew Gamble’s book The Spectre at the Feast and its analysis of the background to, conduct of, and possible consequences and opportunities brought about by, the current global economic crisis. The views expressed represent a range of responses to Gamble’s analysis and examination of the crisis, both in different locations and from different perspectives. They reflect upon the broader social, political and even emotional dimensions of what is taking place as well as trying to understand the true nature of the crisis. What is key is how the state sets about ‘managing’ this crisis. The authors seek to answer a wide range of pertinent questions, such as: to what degree will the state continue to balance between economic and fiscal management as against the needs of the weak and vulnerable? What should be and what is the role of state welfarism in a time of recession? How will different nation states respond to this crisis? What is the role of education policy in these complicated times? What is the role of the education state? This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Education Policy.

Strengthen programs of family and community engagement to promote equity and increase student success! When schools, families, and communities collaborate and share responsibility for students′ education, more students succeed in school. Based on 30 years of research and fieldwork, the fourth edition of the bestseller School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, presents tools and guidelines to help develop more effective and more equitable programs of family and community engagement. Written by a team of well-known experts, it provides a theory and framework of six types of involvement for action; up-to-date research on school, family, and community collaboration; and new materials for professional development and on-going technical assistance. Readers also will find: Examples of best practices on the six types of involvement from preschools, and elementary, middle, and high schools Checklists, templates, and evaluations to plan goal-linked partnership programs and assess progress CD-ROM with slides and notes for two presentations: A new awareness session to orient colleagues on the major components of a research-based partnership program, and a full One-Day Team Training Workshop to prepare school teams to develop their partnership programs. As a foundational text, this handbook demonstrates a proven approach to implement and sustain inclusive, goal-linked programs of partnership. It shows how a good partnership program is an essential component of good school organization and school improvement for student success. This book will help every district and all schools strengthen and continually improve their programs of family and community engagement.

The vast disparities in college attendance and graduation rates between students from different class backgrounds is a growing social concern. Economic Inequality and Higher Education investigates the connection between income inequality and unequal access to higher education, and proposes solutions that the state and federal governments and schools themselves can undertake to make college accessible to students from all backgrounds. Economic Inequality and Higher Education convenes experts from the fields of education, economics, and public policy to assess the barriers that prevent low-income students from completing college. For many students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, the challenge isn't getting into college, but getting out with a degree. Helping this group will require improving the quality of education in the community colleges and lower-tier public universities they are most likely to attend. Documenting the extensive disjuncture between the content of state-mandated high school testing and college placement exams, Michael Kirst calls for greater alignment between K-12 and college education. Amanda Pallais and Sarah Turner examine barriers to access at elite universities for low-income students—including tuition costs, lack of information, and poor high school records—as well as recent initiatives to increase socioeconomic diversity at private and public universities. Top private universities have increased the level and transparency of financial aid, while elite public universities have focused on outreach, mentoring, and counseling, and both sets of reforms show signs of success. Ron Ehrenberg notes that financial aid policies in both public and private universities have recently shifted towards merit-based aid, away from the need-based aid that is most helpful to low-income students. Ehrenberg calls on government policy makers to create incentives for colleges to increase their representation of low-income students. Higher education is often vaunted as the primary engine of upward mobility. Instead, as inequality in America rises, colleges may be reproducing income disparities from one generation to the next. Economic Inequality and Higher Education illuminates this worrisome trend and suggests reforms that educational institutions and the government must implement to make the dream of a college degree a reality for all motivated students.