American public higher education systems include the largest and most impactful colleges and universities in the nation, including 75 percent of the nation's public sector students. While their impact is enormous, they are largely neglected as an area of study and underutilized as an instrument for the improvement of postsecondary outcomes.…

Now that most states have adopted the new Common Core State Standards, the next major challenge is to simplify and implement them by 2014. That is why it is important to begin this work now. Joe Crawford, Milken Award-winning educator and author of "Using Power Standards to Build an Aligned Curriculum", shares his proven process for…

This is one of eight short monographs intended to aid practicing educators in planning and conducting accountability programs in schools. This booklet discusses the concept of educational accountability and examines the major facets of educational accountability programs. Short sections focus in turn on the nature of educational accountability,…

This monograph describes a system for assessing student affectivity. The system was developed over a period of two decades and includes five principal instruments, one of which has four different form levels. In general, the system is applicable to grades 7-12, but portions can be used in grades 3-6 and at the college and adult levels. Although…

Because desired output goals should be the ruling criteria for the deployment of resources (inputs) and the selection of goal attainment strategies (processes), specific goal expectations and goal achievement evaluative methods must be determined. These output goals may be classified in two categories, quantitative (numbers of graduates, grade…

This book describes how the principles of quality can be applied to education. Based on the work of W. Edwards Deming and Joseph M. Juran, the book outlines a systematic and practical approach to implementing quality in educational settings. It also describes how to encourage staff participation in quality initiatives. Total-quality schools are…

Systems in teaching and learning are discussed in depth to aid in relating educational theories to the art of teaching. Chapter 1, on individualization of instruction, discusses research in the learning process. Chapter 2, on systems and the systems approach, reviews the meaning of "system," systems analysis and synthesis, and the use of a systems…

This book argues that schools are doing a better job than is commonly portrayed by the media and various commission reports. However, it cautions that schools must move beyond incremental improvements. One need not assume school failure to propose school reform. Chapter 1 examines limitations of the research that has portrayed a national…

Teachers and students will better understand the experience of learning if they become familiar with a general systems model of the relationship between a teacher and a learner (student). Concepts relevant to this model include learner background, readiness, initiative, and achievement; teacher knowledge, relationship to colleagues, cultural…

This document traces the Goals 2000: Educate America Act and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act as they proceeded through Congress. The following papers are included: "Preface" (Douglas Bedient and Michael D. Usdan); "Introduction" (John F. Jennings); "The Goals 2000: Educate America Act. Providing a World-Class…

This book presents a blueprint for using a quality assurance-based approach to planning and developing open and distance learning (ODL) courses in the United Kingdom. The following are among the specific topics discussed: (1) typical aims of ODL (opening access to education; responding to student needs; designing self-study materials; student…

This book advocates establishing "learning systems" that utilize all the educational resources of communities to connect and extend learning opportunities across a lifetime. The following are among the topics discussed: (1) the essence of lifelong learning and a learning society; (2) how and why people engage in free-choice learning; (3)…

This book, which is intended to facilitate dialogue among educators, parents, students, and policymakers, provides practical approaches to reforming secondary schooling to increase its rigor and relevance to the "real world." Chapter 1 reviews 10 guiding principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools and school-to-work movements and…

This book, which is intended primarily for specialists in the field of adult education (AE) who wish to improve their performance, presents a systematic plan for designing, establishing, and evaluating successful programs for adult learners. The following topics are among those discussed in the book's six chapters: credos and systems (growth of…

These volumes contain 40 papers examining the principles, policies, structure, and practice of lifelong learning worldwide. The following are among the papers included: "Towards a Philosophy of Lifelong Learning" (David Aspin, Judith Chapman); "Locating Lifelong Learning and Education in Contemporary Currents of Thought and…