Bottom Line (The)

This project (2001-2003) examined the feasibility of using the database from CPRE's study, "State and Local Education Reform Policy: From Congress to the Classroom" to identify standards-based policies and practices that appear to support student achievement. If the database was appropriate, CPRE researchers then analyzed relationships between and among state and local policies and practices, and the level of and change in student achievement. Even if limitations to the data precluded further analyses, CPRE used what was learned from the review of existing studies and from a small panel of researchers and methodological experts to (1) assure that CPRE's project, "Improving Performance in Schools and Districts" was designed to maximize the possibility of such analyses, and (2) produce a report for the broader research community that addresses the methodological issues in combining qualitative data and extant assessment data from multiple levels (teachers, schools, districts, and states) and across multiple sites.