Robert C. Knoeppel

Consequential Validity of Accountability Policy: Public Understanding of Assessments.

Educational accountability policy rests heavily on the assessments used to influence teaching, learning, and school improvement. A long-debated aspect of assessment use, consequential validity, plays an important role in public interpretation of assessment use whether for individual students or for state policy. The purpose of this survey study was to explore stakeholders’ perceptions of the variety of tests used in classrooms and schools, especially how testing is used to improve teaching and learning. Results indicated that the majority of stakeholders do not value state assessments and do not see the assessments as useful in the teaching and learning process. However, a proportion of minority respondents were optimistic that state assessments have potential for school improvement.

Finance Equity, Student Achievement, and Justice. A Five State Analysis of Equality of Opportunity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the connections between state education finance distribution models and student achievement. To date, lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of state finance systems have been heard in 45 states; the judicial interpretation of the requirement to provide equality of educational opportunity has led to changes in finance distribution models as well as the implementation of accountability policy. Design/methodology/approach – The study included district level finance and achievement data from five states. Researchers reviewed the relevant judicial interpretation of the finance system, the accountability policy, and the finance distribution system. Next, researchers calculated the equity of both the finance distribution model and measures of student achievement. Finally, an equity ratio was developed and calculated to discern the degree to which state distribution models resulted in equitable measures of student achievement. Findings – Findings reveal that ...

A logic model for coaching experienced rural leaders: lessons from year one of a pilot program

Rural schools dominate the United States, yet scant research exists on rural school leaders’ development. Urban districts can transfer leaders to different locations, but rural districts, with few school sites, need leaders who stay and adapt to changing conditions. Mid-career rural leaders require a refreshed set of skills to carry school improvement and educational policies into the next decade or more. This article reports on a logic model focused on developing rural school-building leaders through cross-district coaching from experienced district-level leaders. The first-year results of a pilot program were applied to refine the logic model.

Education Funding and Student Outcomes: A Conceptual Framework for Measurement of the Alignment of State Education Finance and Academic Accountability Policies.

Matthew R. Della Sala is Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations in the Department of Educational Studies at Purdue University. His primary research interests are educational policy, finance, and program evaluation. The conceptualization and measurement of education finance equity and adequacy has engaged researchers for more than three decades. At the same time, calls for increased academic accountability and higher student achievement in K-12 public education have reached new levels at both the national and state levels. Aligning these represents an emerging area of research with many challenges. For example, recent efforts by the authors to measure the alignment of fiscal equity and student outcomes using an equity ratio faced challenges, particularly because traditional education finance statistical measures do not fully account for factors that either impeded or contributed to their alignment.1 Hence, the purpose of this article is to expand upon our previous work not only by identifying contributing factors, but also by proposing a conceptual framework that explains their role in measurement and alignment of state education finance and academic accountability policies. In this article, we first review the process we used to create an equity ratio used to measure alignment. We then turn to our subsequent and related research to identify relevant contextual factors. Based upon these studies, we propose a conceptual framework that illustrates the interrelationship of factors associated with the alignment of education finance and accountability policies.

Modeling the Effects of Educational Resources on Student Achievement Implications for Resource Allocation Policies

The convergence of standards, accountability, and school finance policies necessitates a systematic rethinking about how state-level resource allocation policies can be created to distribute resources in a manner that provides equal educational opportunities for all students. Given the demand for policymakers to distribute adequate resources to improve schools’ capacities to increase student learning, there is a need for evidence detailing the effects of those educational resources on student achievement. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to discern the effects of educational resources on student achievement using structural equation modeling. Using data from a southeastern state in the United States, the authors offer resource allocation policy recommendations that align with the state’s constitutional obligation to provide equality of educational opportunity, particularly for students living in poverty.