High-quality care in the earliest years of life has been shown to relate to positive developmental outcomes for children, including improved early academic skills, social-emotional competencies, and cognitive functioning. Unfortunately, the early care experiences of many children are not always high quality; rather, research suggests that…

There are three purposes for evaluation: evaluation for action to aid the decision making process, evaluation for understanding to further enhance enlightenment and evaluation for control to ensure compliance to standards. This article argues that the primary function of evaluation in the "Catherine Wheel" computer-based assessment (CBA)…

This article outlines a methodology for characterising features of programme-level assessment environments so that the relationship between features of the assessment environment and students' learning response can be studied. The methodology was developed through the detailed case study of nine undergraduate degree programmes: one in each of…

Drawing on her experience with County Durham Learning and subsequently as a Recognising and Recording Progress and Achievement in Non-Accredited Learning (RARPA) Champion for the Learning and Skills Council and as a trainer for the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) and the Learning and Skills Network, the author outlines the…

Program reviews became widely used as quality assurance activities in the United States beginning in the 1970s. Since then, they have evolved as an essential component in demonstrating institutional effectiveness to accrediting bodies. The paper discusses various approaches to reviews with a focus on a recently reengineered institutional program…

This paper defines Total Quality Management (TQM), discusses its origins, and identifies its strengths and weaknesses as they apply to higher education. The paper defines TQM as a philosophy of organizations that defines quality and improves organizational performance and administrative systems. The system originated from statistical quality…

Use-oriented approaches to evaluation have been challenged by contentions that the responsiveness of such evaluations undermines their technical quality. This discussion analyzes purported conflicts between these evaluation criteria of utility and accuracy by examining underlying assumptions related to evaluation's purpose and politics. (TJH)

This article presents the methodology used by the Finnish Education Evaluation Council in the national evaluation of social and communication skills in vocational education and training. The evaluation concentrates on key competences such as learning-to-learn skills, communication skills, social skills and entrepreneurship (Implementation of…

Issues that affect the use of performance indicators in managing educational quality are discussed in this paper. Recent changes in public-sector organizational management include the development of strategies for the management of change itself and the changing role of the public sector. A trend within the public sector is an increase in the…

Analyzes inspection results for 22 English and Welsh secondary schools to explore the nature of, and responses to, OFSTED (Offices for Standards in Education) inspectors' recommendations about using internal monitoring and evaluation to improve classroom practice. In their action plans, some schools respond with bureaucratic procedures, while…

This chapter examines the potential pitfalls in evaluating the effectiveness of gifted education programs and applies recent trends in the assessment and maintenance of quality in industrial applications. Evaluators are encouraged to avoid the temptations of bad evaluation which may appear to offer simpler alternatives to complex tasks but…

Criticisms of attempts to measure the educational and research quality of universities are discussed, particularly with respect to methods that rely on the quality of faculty publications. However, it is argued that institutions supported by public funds must be accountable and some form of assessment is necessary. (JMD)

College administrators often overlook the valuable assistance than can be provided by the college internal audit unit as they implement principles of total quality management. This unit is in a good position to conduct performance audits of departments and programs, the results of which can provide meaningful information to assist in…

This guide describes a quality process for external and internal evaluation of the elementary school education department. The term "pathway" is used to define routes through the quality process that describe any school administrative activity in terms of the indicators and examples of good practice. There are five pathways: process…

This guide to assessing engineering education in Sub-Saharan Africa consists of three sections, covering: (1) assessment of qualitative and quantitative needs; (2) assessment of the engineering education institution in developing countries; and (3) methods of forecasting demand for engineers; assessment of the efficiency of engineering training…