This report describes the first year implementation of a new professional development program, Palm Beach County Afterschool Educator Certificate (PBC-AEC). Set within a larger systemic quality improvement effort in Palm Beach County, this training seeks to provide a concentrated course of learning, practice, and reflection. The training seeks to…

This paper intends to construct a survey data quality strategy for institutional researchers in higher education in light of total survey error theory. It starts with describing the characteristics of institutional research and identifying the gaps in literature regarding survey data quality issues in institutional research. Then it is followed by…

The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) assessed the English literacy skills of a nationally representative sample of more than 19,000 U.S. adults (age 16 and older) residing in households and correctional institutions. NAAL is the first national assessment of adult literacy since the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). The…

Two years ago, the then North American Council for Online Learning released the initial "Snapshot State of the Nation: K-12 Online Learning in Canada" report. This study was the first systematic examination of K-12 distance education policies and activities in each of the thirteen Canadian provinces and territories. One year ago, the…

The Mississippi Consortium for International Development's (MCID's) intervention involved the development, publication and distribution of an Integrated Foundations of Learning Kit, focused on numeracy. This intervention was aligned with Zambia's priorities and strategies and matched the requirements of the Textbooks and Learning Materials Program…

The Distance Learning Policy Laboratory of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and many states and regional organizations are coming to a consensus on the principles and goals that should shape distance learning policies. In the case of quality assurance, the SREB believes there are four guiding principles that states should follow.…

Information was gathered from the central office, elementary, and junior and senior high school administrators of the Saginaw (Michigan) Public Schools regarding the quality control operation in the schools. All administrators were polled to determine an actual level of need based on the difference between what "is" and "what should…

This paper reports on the development and implementation of the quality audit, a methodology designed to help school systems examine their capacity for change using the principles of total quality management as a framework for analysis. Total quality management stresses the importance of continuous improvement of organizational processes,…

This project tested the appropriateness of SERVQUAL (i.e., an instrument widely used in the service industry for assessing service quality based on repeated service encounters rather than a particular service encounter) to measure service quality in special libraries and developed a modified version for special libraries. SERVQUAL is based on an…

At the Purdue University School of Technology (PST) at Columbus, Indiana, the Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy was used in the computer laboratories to better meet student needs. A customer satisfaction survey was conducted to gather data on lab facilities, lab assistants, and hardware/software; other sections of the survey included…

This study examined the impact of deinstitutionalization of the mentally retarded on their communities, the extent of availability of support services, and the extent to which the Connecticut Department of Mental Retardation assures adequate quality of support services and day programs for people with mental retardation living in community…

As the number of after-school programs has expanded, states are increasingly interested in information that helps in the design, selection, and management of such programs. With the sponsorship of Stone Soup Child Care Programs in California, the RAND Child Policy Project and the Promising Practices Network was commissioned to measure adherence of…

Through offering insight into different approaches to quality assurance, with input from those who provide leadership in post-secondary education in British Columbia and Canada, this project's goal is to recommend whether Canadian jurisdictions should consider a new quality assurance regime, and to provide potential new models to consider in that…

The periodic review and development of public library standards are undertaken by the Kansas State Library to best serve the public interest by insuring the quality of the state's public libraries. Standards are defined for the structure and governance of libraries. Service objectives and standards for automation and technology are defined.…

The Basic Educational Opportunity Grant Quality Control Study, Volume II focuses on study procedures used for the analytical report recorded in Volume I of the study. Copies of all data collection forms are included along with file layouts, field procedures and other general information letters. It is intended to provide a description of the…