Cross-Cutting Evaluations

Living in Interesting Times: Early State Implementation of New Federal Education Laws
This provides a baseline evaluation at the state level of the Improving America's Schools Act [IASA] (P.L. 103-327) and the Goals 2000: Educate America Act (P.L. 103-227) in the first two years of implementation. The study analyzes the ways in which the state administrators responded to the new legislative provisions regarding flexibility, accountability, and capacity building. The programs included in the study were: Title I (Parts A-D), Title II (Professional Development), Title IV (Safe and Drug-Free Schools) and Title VI (Innovative Grants) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the McKinney Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program, and Goals 2000, Title III. The evaluation is informed by surveys administered to state education agency (SEA) managers of the federal programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in late 1996 and early 1997. The Analysis and Highlights provides a summary of major findings from the report.

Also available is the full report in PDF (753K) and MS Word (753K).

Study of Education Resources and Federal Funding: Preliminary Report
This report examines the allocation and uses of funds provided to school districts and schools through Goals 2000 and five of the largest programs authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act: Title I, Title II (Eisenhower Professional Development), Title III (Technology Literacy Challenge Fund), Title IV (Safe and Drug-Free Schools), and Title VI. The study examines the extent to which program funds are used for various strategies for improving student achievement, including professional development, technology, extended time, and schoolwide reform and improvement. The study examines the amount of program funds used for instruction, instructional support, administration, and other purposes, the amount used at the district and school levels, and the targeting of funds at the district and school levels. This preliminary report presents initial findings from the study; a more comprehensive report was completed later in 1999. Here is the Analysis and Highlights.

Goals 2000

Goals 2000: Case Studies of Promising Districts
This study highlights the policies and practices of nine Goals 2000 subgrantees. It describes how districts used funds to start, support, and sustain reform efforts and provides detailed, real-life examples of how systemic, standards-based reform can be implemented and function at the local level. Analysis and Highlights (1999)

21st Century Community Learning Centers

Continuous Improvement Management Guide for 21st Century Schools
A presentation by Dr. Alan Ginsburg, Director of the US Department of Education's Planning and Evaluation Service, about 21st Century Community Learning Centers, is available.

This PowerPoint presentation Continuous Improvement Management for 21st Century Schools is available on-line and as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file.

To view the presentation or download the presentation PDF file (4.2 MB).