Rules and guidelines are provided governing the selection of documents and journal articles to be included in the ERIC database. Selection criteria are described under the five headings: (1) Appropriateness of content/subject matter; (2) Suitability of format, medium, document type; (3) Quality of content; (4) Legibility and reproducibility; (5)…

Rules and guidelines are provided governing the selection of documents and journal articles to be included in the ERIC database. Selection criteria are described under the five headings: (1) Appropriateness of content/subject matter; (2) Suitability of format, medium, document type; (3) Quality of content; (4) Legibility and reproducibility; (5)…

This paper defines professional certification as a voluntary process regulated by a profession to measure competencies possessed by its practitioners. A hierarchy of motives for certification is illustrated, and its importance for the fields of adult education and human resource development (HRD) is emphasized. The evolution of the concept of…

The purpose of this section is to specify the procedure for making changes to the ERIC database after the data involved have been announced in the abstract journals RIE or CIJE. As a matter of general ERIC policy, a document or journal article is not re-announced or re-entered into the database as a new accession for the purpose of accomplishing a…

This paper explores the background to and process of quality circles as well as the implications of circles for training. In the first section, the emergence and growth of quality circles in Japan and the United States are traced. Next, the theoretical and conceptual bases of quality circles are examined, while section 3 looks at implementation in…

Quality system awards offer blueprints for assessing quality in vocational education as well as in business and industry. The three most prestigious awards recognizing quality improvement in business and industry are the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award, Deming Application Prize, and ISO 9000 Registration. When comparing standards for the quality…

Total Quality Management (TQM) establishes business and industry standards and techniques that ensure the quality of products leaving and reaching firms through continuous actions rather than one final inspection. Deming, Juran, and Crosby, who initiated the process, share a common theme of participatory management. Management participation and…

This literature survey examines trends in higher education requiring a broad base of support from the changing institutions and the people who have to respond to, plan for, and manage the changes. Trends are identified in the areas of enrollment, financial aid, curricula, faculty, financial status, and assessment. Trends affecting enrollment…

The strengths and weaknesses of the traditional external quality controls exerted by government and accrediting bodies to monitor colleges and universities are examined, along with the importance of institutional self-regulation. Government involvement in American higher education is traced historically, showing that until recently the oversight…

Certificates are a valuable new currency in the information economy. Through a postbaccalaureate or postmaster's certificate, adults acquire market-demanded competencies in a short time. Many certificate-seekers are currently employed adults looking for focused, flexible, interdisciplinary, and highly relevant education opportunities. Certificate…

This brief report summarizes a longer document with the same title. Many colleges and universities, in responding to public demand for higher education and the external challenges it creates, are employing Total Quality Management (TQM) techniques to improve quality, increase productivity, and decrease cost. The quality improvement process itself…

This digest discusses the issue of performance standards for school superintendents. School districts are discovering that developing performance standards for administrators can be cost effective, reduce crisis management, set and maintain direction, and give the community a standard for measuring school success. Several aspects of the issue on…

Many colleges and universities, in responding to public demand for higher education and the external challenges it creates, are employing Total Quality Management (TQM) techniques to improve quality, increase productivity, and decrease costs. The quality improvement process itself (the tools for problem identification and developing solutions),…

This digest, based on a larger report of the same title, summarizes principles for improving quality in higher education institutions. Emphasis is on the effect of the principles when they are used holistically to create a culture of academic excellence. The quality principles are based on the conceptual framework of total quality management (TQM)…

This guide reviews the testing and accountability requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). It discusses: subjects on which students will be tested and when (all states must test math and reading achievement annually in grades 3-8 and at least once during grades 10-12 by 2005-06); whether children with disabilities or limited…