The Education Insights Center produced a series of reports culminating in recommendations for the structure and governance of a preschool through higher education and into the workforce (known as a P20W data system). This brief follows up on that series, with a focus on data quality; the brief was informed by the author's experience using…

Every 2 years, Education requires nearly all school districts to report incidents of restraint and seclusion. Generally, restraint is restricting a student's ability to move, and seclusion is confining them alone in a space they cannot leave. The House Committee on Appropriations' explanatory statement accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations…

The National Reporting System (NRS) is the accountability system for the federally funded, State-administered adult education program. It addresses the accountability requirements of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, Title II of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA-P.L.105-220). This document presents (1) the NRS measures that allow…

The Early Learning Challenge (ELC) program awarded more than $1 billion in four-year grants to 20 States to implement comprehensive and cohesive high-quality early learning systems that support young children with high needs and their families. A key lever in making these improvements was the enhancement of States' Quality Rating and Improvement…

Spurred by the "No Child Left Behind Act" of 2001, virtually every educational reform program now includes an accountability component that requires sound data collection and reporting. Improving data quality has thus emerged as a high priority for educators and policymakers across the country. The list of programs for which data quality…

This commentary highlights the work of the Collaborative for Building After-School Systems (CBASS), a collaborative of mature, city and county-wide nonprofit OST intermediaries, to develop and adopt common youth-, program- and system-level measures that are easy and cost-effective for local systems to implement. By agreeing to adopt and publicly…

The Nigerian Government and other stakeholders invest heavily in Education. The Education system should therefore be held accountable to be sure that value is being given to justify the financial investments and the period of time spent schooling. This is only possible through the process of quality control of the Education system and it is…

This packet introduces some concepts in evaluation and accountability for mental health professionals in schools. The first section presents two briefs from the Clearinghouse of the Center for Mental Health in Schools. The first, "Mental Health in Schools: Quality Control, Evaluating Outcomes, and Getting Credit for All You Do," highlights the…

Describes the college accreditation processes in the United States within the larger context of state, federal, and institutional accountability and reviews some of the continuing debates over ways to improve accreditation. Notes key issues (gathering evidence and using expert judgment) receiving attention by accrediting agencies in recent years.…

This article describes the development of a provider-based outcome measurement system, describing core components and processes, what to measure, who should be involved in the development and measurement process, and what data collection technologies can be used or adopted. Problems in developing model outcome measurement services are presented.…

A useful, values-oriented human resource development (HRD) program evaluation approach is one that is empirical with its orientation derived from a social/technical perspective. The optimum mix between the technical skills of evaluation and the required social skills of evaluation delivery is crucial for the quality assurance process. The core to…

Intended for use in conjunction with guidance and instruction from a teacher or tutor, this guide provides an overview of the philosophy of quality as well as some tools used in business and industry today. Each of four sections consists of a teacher explanation of the topics followed by student worksheets with annotated teacher keys. The first…

A manual of quality control (QC) techniques is presented for financial aid and fiscal administrators. Steps for establishing, designing, implementing, and evaluating a QC program are outlined including the following: obtaining institutional commitments; developing the QC team; determining priorities for development; determining functions to be…

This report presents the results of a U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) review of lender and Department of Education controls over the accuracy of lender-submitted quarterly billings under the Federal Family Education Loan Program, also known as the guaranteed student loan program. It reports that both lenders and the Department of Education…

This article summarizes how an organization designed and implemented a quality improvement infrastructure and an effective outcomes-based management system. Stages included: assessing the organization's current status and planning for buy-in, initiating data collection, ensuring data integrity, utilizing data in clinical assessment and…