Adult learning policies, like any other policies, need to be effective: they need to reach their objectives and attain the desired impacts, which should be carefully defined. Understanding the performance of policies allows policy makers to change and improve them. A growing body of research and statistics provides important insights into how…

Inspite of the fact that primary education forms the foundation on which education at the secondary and tertiary levels rests, the issue of poverty is undermining its roles in Nigeria. In this paper, this issue of poverty of primary education was examined, from the perspectives of its history, scope, indicators, in terms of inadequacy of resource…

This paper discusses the rationale behind information-based approaches to school and systemic improvement and identifies some alternatives to the quality assurance model used in New South Wales (Australia). It outlines the structures established for identifying and reporting issues and trends on a systemic basis and discusses some of the…

Explores the difficulty of evaluating school effectiveness, distinguishing between school effectiveness and school efficiency. Introduces seven evaluation models, and discusses the difficulty of integrating these models. Develops a dynamic model which reconceptualizes school effectiveness and combines characteristics of the integrated and…

Three stages of teacher education are examined: preservice; the induction phase, defined as the first few years prior to the tenure decision; and inservice training. It is noted that there is often an incongruity between the real purpose of preservice students and that of their teachers in a teacher education system. Preservice students going…

This book gives an updated account of the present use and status of performance indicators (PIs)in British higher education, a decade after their controversial introduction into higher education policy. The first chapter explores some key issues in the development of PIs, noting that since their introduction as a largely, externally imposed…

This book gives an account of the present use and status of performance indicators in British higher education, set against the developing literature and experience of performance indicators in the United States and other countries. The book provides a critical survey of the range of devices being proposed but also points to possible patterns or…

Educational indicators are statistical input/output measures providing information on the health of the educational system. This report for the consideration of the Council of Chief State School Officers characterizes the current state of educational indicators as in "shambles." It proposes a three phase framework for developing a sensitive and…

The concept of impact, as it is treated in this report, is based on the notion of "expected changes in student behavior and attitudes as contrasted to "actual" changes. Following a review of the literature on college impact and a discussion of its relevance to the two-year college, this document presents an empirical model for…

This paper evaluates the mathematics program of the Des Moines (Iowa) Independent Community School district. The mathematics curricula in the Des Moines schools is in a state of transition to meet national standards in mathematics. The national standards are completely in agreement with the district's mission statement, which is to provide a…