A core component of many new educational programs funded under the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" is that they be based on scientifically based research. Like others in the educational community, counselors and counseling researchers welcome the opportunity to empirically test the validity of their practices and demonstrate that what…

This digest identifies the issues which must be addressed to make instruments and procedures for assessing school counselor performance efficient, fair, valid, and useful. (BH)

The increasingly complex environment in which colleges and universities now operate has spawned a set of requirements for accountability with which institutions and therefore faculty must comply. Although academic freedom and tenure provide important protections for faculty, they are not unlimited. At the same time, institutions face a myriad of…

Educational accountability is central to the reputation of the nation's community colleges. Some community colleges are adopting mastery learning, competency-based education, curriculum tracking, and/or minimum competency-testing as a means of remaining educationally accountable. Mastery learning programs, under which students are required to…

This digest is based on a full-length report (with the same title) on advisory committees to universities and colleges. Under decreased resources and increased pressures for more accountability, advisory committees are an effective way for colleges and universities to connect with their environments. An advisory committee is a group of volunteers…

Institutional self-study is an appropriate method for determining quality and demonstrating accountability which can lead to academic and administrative excellence. With a trend toward state and federal government involvement in higher education, colleges will do well to conduct internal program assessments in order to maintain control. A…

Factors that have led to post-tenure evaluation of faculty are considered, along with concerns that should be examined before designing a post-tenure review process. Post-tenure evaluation is not in opposition to the principle of tenure and to policy statements about tenure issued by the American Association of University Professors, provided that…

This digest presents principles of enrollment management for institutions of higher education. It reviews the three decades since the introduction of the term "enrollment management," noting the goals of: (1) defining the institution's nature and characteristics for appropriate marketing; (2) incorporating all relevant campus…

Student tracking systems are enabling increasing numbers of community colleges to respond to external demands for accountability with tangible measurements of student progress and institutional outcomes. Several recent trends in marketing, accountability, communications with students, and internal competition for resources have prompted interest…

This digest provides information on determining the effectiveness of school mathematics programs. The purposes for developing accountability programs and characteristics of good mathematics programs are listed. State goals and objectives and standards developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics have furthered the production of…