The British experience of nationwide research quality assessments and new measures to improve accountability are described. Consequences for the higher education system and for individual institutions are examined. Three national assessments of the quality of research in the United Kingdom (U.K.) in 1986, 1989, and 1992 have provided a standard…

This paper reviews the concept of performance funding (PF) in governmental and higher education budgeting at the state level, reports the results of a recent national study of state-level PF for higher education, and assesses the likelihood that PF will become a permanent fixture in most states' approaches to budgeting for higher education. The…

Frederick Community College (Maryland) utilizes both the Instructional Accountability Program Review (IAPR) and the Career Program Review (CPR) to assess program outcomes and determine progress in meeting goals and objectives. The IAPR is a comprehensive review procedure conducted by faculty and associate deans to evaluate all transfer, career,…

This book is the culmination of extensive discussion among a panel of economists led by Eric A. Hanushek. The panel argues that improvement of schools depends more on better uses of resources than on the provision of added funds. The book outlines a plan to improve school performance without increasing expenditures. Specifically, it calls for more…

This report explores educational accountability in the United States, specifically accountability in vocational education. Section 1 provides a brief overview of the history of evaluation activity in federal educational programs and sets the major accountability, evaluation, and performance provisions of the 1990 Perkins legislation in that…

A study was conducted to identify key long-term research areas for Nebraska's vocational education community. The Delphi survey technique was used with 22 Department of Education personnel, 18 of whom completed both rounds of the study. A 1-5 Likert rating scale was used to identify 23 research topics, which were thematically clustered into the…

This paper focuses on how teachers and administrators share a commitment towards the general principle of accountability in regard to efficiency in educational programs. The notion of efficiency is shown to have limited application to complex multidimensional processes, including those of classroom language learning and of language program…

This book approaches the theory and practice of assessment with an overview of the condition of American higher education, addressing its scope, objectives, and diversity. From that base, the book explores the challenges which society poses to campuses in terms of justification of expenditures and demonstration of tangible outcomes. It discusses…

This document describes the Adult Literacy Information and Evaluation System (ALIES), which is the management information system for New York City's citywide adult education program expansion effort begun in 1984. Chapter 1 describes the organization's creation in order to provide timely and reliable information to funders about the effects of the…

This document describes the data collection and analysis design used by the Adult Literacy Information and Evaluation System (ALIES), which is the management information system for New York City's citywide adult education program expansion effort begun in 1984. Chapter 1 describes the system's background. Chapter 2 explains five issues that…

Discussions were held with administrative staff and evaluators from the New York City Public Schools in order to identify sources of data for evaluating special education programs. Data which are generally available include: (1) citywide reading test scores; (2) number of diplomas issued; (3) number of students decertified; (4) number of students…

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…

The U.S. Department of Education's (ED) Special Services for Disadvantaged Students program was reviewed during 1977-1980 using a sample of 11 grantee institutions. Attention was directed to the management of the program, whether program goals were being met, and progress of students in the program. The program's goal is to increase postsecondary…

Given the fundamental program changes that have occurred in the nation's social programs since President Reagan took office, federal evaluation activities need to be rethought and redirected. It is critical that the utility of programs be documented, economical delivery services be developed, and redundancy of interventions be reduced to optimize…

Sustained silent reading (SSR) is intended to promote reading growth through allowing students to have sustained encounters with self-selected reading material without interruption in the presence of positive peer and teacher role models. Recent research suggests that SSR is of significant value when combined with a regular program of reading.…