This paper reports on results of three years (1988-1991) of state mandated external reviews of basic credential programs (elementary and secondary) at 33 California institutions of higher education. The review used teams of teacher educators, school administrators, classroom teachers, and other stakeholders to identify common strengths and…

The strengths and weaknesses of the traditional external quality controls exerted by government and accrediting bodies to monitor colleges and universities are examined, along with the importance of institutional self-regulation. Government involvement in American higher education is traced historically, showing that until recently the oversight…

This study analyzes the effects of costs on day care center quality for a total of 13 high cost ($40-50 per week for each child) and low cost ($20-30 per week) day care centers in three New York counties. A mail survey questionnaire (included in Appendix) was used to gather data on program operations, core services, and budget expenditures.…

Requests for evaluation instruments measuring program quality rather than program content have required the development of new measuring procedures. Two sets of materials are presented in this report--the first to identify objectives and expected outcomes for school programs and persons in the school, and the second to identify the actual climate…

The Council on Quality and Leadership in Supports for People with Disabilities conducted interviews with 447 people with disabilities to identify priority outcomes they expect from service and supports. An analysis resulted in 24 variables loading onto 7 major factors: identity, autonomy, affiliation, attainment, rights, health, and safeguards.…

Examines some of the basic issues involved in creating a warm and safe day-care environment for infants and toddlers, one that supports and promotes development and learning. Describing policies that were generated from everyday classroom experience, discusses the issues of security and trust, separation anxiety, group size, exploration and…

This case study describes why the University of Wolverhampton (England) decided to adopt the Total Quality Management approach to institutional administration, then to develop a quality assurance system to conform to an international quality standard. It chronicles two phases of program development/implementation and assesses successes and…

Investigated whether college level peer educators were adequately prepared to teach peers about sexual health, sexual assault, and substance abuse. They completed 20 hours of training on the issues and on public speaking, leadership, and presentation skills. Pretesting and posttesting indicated that the program increased students' factual…

ISO 9000 is a set of quality standards that assists an organization to identify, correct and prevent errors, and to promote continual improvement. Educational institutions worldwide are implementing ISO 9000 as they face increasing external pressure to maintain accountability for funding. Similar to other countries, in the United States vocational…

The gap between learning and assessment is apparent both in the beliefs of children, who often see no connection between the two, and in the practices of teachers, who do not choose to use the most recently developed means of assessment. This gap stems from management theory and from learning theory. Traditional management in the United States has…

A project was conducted to improve the productivity and efficiency of 10 manufacturers by providing workplace literacy instruction to workers lacking basic skills required for their jobs, and to improve the capability of educational programs to meet the basic skill needs of the manufacturing industry by developing an evaluation manual for basic…

This document contains testimony and prepared statements from the Congressional hearing examining the impact on the elderly of the federal health care cost containment measure. Correspondence between the Select Committee on Aging and the Department of Health and Human Services, concerning the government restrictions' harmful effects on the…

Outcome evaluation assesses the results or benefits of mental health services received by clients or communities by comparing descriptive data on the mental health status of clients at different points in time. It aids clinicians and managers in planning programs and managing clinical services. A mental health center should establish goal-oriented…

A quality control model is proposed to facilitate development of effective instructional programs. The theories of R. M. Gagne and of M. D. Merrill provide the foundations for a theory of sequencing behavior into a hierarchical order in order to improve the learning potential of an instructional program. The initial step in the procedural model is…

This study analyzes the accreditation experience in the United States with special emphasis on the issues and decisions that surrounded the development of evaluation procedures and standards. Attention is given to the relationship between accrediting agencies and governmental agencies, the effect of accrediting requirements on the way that…