The evaluation process provides valuable information so that practitioners may share and benchmark their efforts to improve and enhance the quality of the educational reform initiative called tech prep. Evaluation should be part of every phase of a tech prep initiative, from needs assessment to completion. A tech prep program is typically at one…

This book was designed to help citizens evaluate and improve their local schools. It contends that the solution to the potential end of America's progress is through positive school reform--the public management of schools. It presents a system of participative and results-oriented management that is implemented by boards, administrators, and…

This report looks at the relationship between the federal government and research intensive universities (RIUs), identifies critical trends and issues that are affecting their relationship, and offers principles and recommendations for the future. Following an introduction, the origins and characteristics of the relations between the federal…

The oversight hearing documented in this report was convened to examine the expenditure of $26,750 to produce and televise an appearance by the President of the United States, George Bush, at Alice Deal Junior High School in Washington, District of Columbia, on October 1, 1991. In his opening address, Chairman of the House Committee on Education…

For many people, school reform means taking the responsibility for goal setting away from teachers and assessing common student accomplishments, but the costs and benefits of this accountability strategy have not been determined. The difference between the aims of education represented by test scores, and those represented by the activities of the…

This two-volume report examines the planning needed in order that Iowa's higher education system can keep pace with, as well as anticipate, the state's future societal changes and educational needs. The report opens with a review of where Iowa and its education system now stand and looks at the expected shape of the state's economic and social…

The Student Achievement Accountability Committee (SAAC) of the San Diego (California) City Schools was formed to make recommendations concerning accountability in relation to the district's objective of closing the student achievement gap. The SAAC was formed in 1990 with representation from school administrators, parents, and teachers. The SAAC…

This report explores issues related to accountability in the context of Children Achieving, the school reform effort of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania). The accountability system begins with content standards in English/language arts, mathematics, science, and the arts. The Stanford-9 Achievement Test has been designated to assess how students are…

This document presents the master plan for Florida postsecondary education, with recommendations in the areas of access, interdependence, outcomes, and funding. An introduction offers a vision statement for postsecondary education in the state, reviews the planning process, identifies underlying principles, and explains the planning context. The…

Fifteen years after the release of the landmark education report, "A Nation at Risk," a number of the nation's most prominent education reformers, business leaders, and policymakers met at an event sponsored by the Center for Education Reform, Empower America, the Heritage Foundation, and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. To discuss the…

This paper reviews the literature on academic quality programs and examines issues faced at one institution in which two initiatives emphasizing student outcomes and faculty performance as indicators of quality are underway. In its review of the literature the paper focuses on concepts such as total quality management, peer or student evaluation…

This book is a collection of nine papers presented at a 1996 symposium that addressed issues and models for strategic thinking about higher education, especially the economics of higher education, institutional mission as it affects positive change and accountability, and technology. The included papers are: (1) "Why Can't a College Be More Like a…

Staff development is a school district activity that is generating more activity and becoming more expensive. As the amount of dollars spent increases, so will the demands for accountability and results. Traditional methods for determining staff development programs are inadequate or incomplete. A more effective method is to relate the staff…

In March 1990, the Wisconsin legislature passed into law the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. Its enactment made Wisconsin the only state in the nation with a private school voucher plan. Litigation concerning the constitutionality of the program has involved the following actions: (1) the Wisconsin Supreme Court refused to hear the case; (2)…

As part of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965 the Congress has examined concerns over the integrity of the student aid program and has consequently looked at reforming the current structure used to approve schools for program participation. The current structure has a "triad" format whereby schools that wish to…