The debate on accountability in terms of the nature and problems of higher education in Great Britain is reviewed. The extent to which validation serves as a means of accountability, and the question of whether the British political system can maintain its role in accountability is discussed. (MLW)

Lack of sufficient accessible community-based health care services for individuals with developmental disabilities has led to disparities in health outcomes and an overreliance on expensive models of care delivered in hospitals and other safety net or state-subsidized providers. A functioning community-based primary health care model, with an…

The article focuses on Fraser Institute's (Vancouver, British Columbia) "Report Card on Elementary Schools in British Columbia." The rating of a school is based on reading, writing, and numeracy levels for both Grade 4 and Grade 7 students, gender differences in reading and numeracy in Grade 7, and the percentage of students not meeting…

This article discusses how Roland G. Tharp and his colleagues from the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, & Excellence, a federal research center at the University of California, identify methods to help "nonmainstream" pupils make academic gains. Tharp has identified five standards that he says mark effective instruction…

There has been renewed discussion of the scientific method, with many voices arguing that it presents a very limited or even wholly incorrect image of the way science is really done. At the same time, the idea of a scientific method is pervasive. This article identifies the scientific method as a simple model for the process of scientific inquiry.…

The Early Development Index (EDI) is a teacher-completed checklist, intended to be a population-level tool to measure children's readiness for school and to alert communities to potential developmental problems in children. In response to the increasing popularity of the EDI, this paper provides a critical and timely evaluation and identifies the…

Web-based education and training provides a new paradigm for imparting knowledge; students can access the learning material anytime by operating remotely from any location. Web3D open standards, such as X3D and VRML, support Web-based delivery of Educational Virtual Environments (EVEs). EVEs have a great potential for learning and training…

The major component of the second year investigation was to study the relative effectiveness of an innovative individualized instructional system in physical education (I CAN) for severely retarded elementary age students. Seven students randomly selected from either an I CAN class or a control class were used for all analyses. Data were collected…

A model is outlined for providing reliable information on the effectiveness of teacher education programs for evaluation purposes. Six criteria for sound evaluation are established: (1) Evaluation should include opportunity possibilities for modification of the program; (2) Evaluation should include feedback from those active in the field of…

This catalogue provides current information on State Facilitator projects on educational programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The one-page descriptions outline services, funds available, and activities of each project. Staff members are listed by name, title, responsibilities, and percentage of…

Describes the process and benefits of accreditation of programs for young children through validation by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs, which is sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. (NH)

This paper presents some ideas to preschool educators and policy makers about how to make validated educational models central in standards for preschool education and care programs that are available to all 3- and 4-year-olds. Defining an educational model as a coherent body of program practices, curriculum content, program and child, and teacher…

Smith describes the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education's provider approval program, a mechanism for assessing the quality of available continuing education programs. She maintains that the issue is not one of mandatory continuing education, but of ensuring the existence of programing which uses accepted principles of adult education. (SK)

The fifth in a series of articles on the NASSP Assessment Center for administrator evaluation and selection, this article describes a study being conducted to evaluate the center and presents some preliminary findings from a job analysis of the principalship, which is the first phase of the validation study. (JM)

This paper describes the process used by the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children for identifying recommended practices in early intervention/early childhood special education. Work groups in 14 areas identified practices that were then validated by a national sample of professionals and family members. Use of the…