In fall 1994, Westchester Community College (WCC), in New York, conducted a study of the 1,018 students who graduated in summer or fall 1993 or spring 1994 to determine educational and work-related outcomes and compare findings to outcomes for previous years' graduates. Study findings, based on responses from 436 (42.8%) of the graduates, included…

In preparation for an accreditation visit, New Mexico State University at Carlsbad (NMSU-C) developed plans and strategies for measuring student academic achievement. One of the first tasks completed was the development of a standardized syllabus format. The format includes course information, such as the title, number, name of instructor,…

A study of 310 ninth grade students and their parents in five communities was conducted to look at the relationships between parent-school bonding, student-school bonding, academic achievement, and other variables. Questionnaires were developed for both parents and students asking questions about attachment, commitment, beliefs about school,…

In response to research indicating that Asian Pacific American (APA) students were considerably more dissatisfied with programs and services than any other ethnic group, Rancho Santiago Community College (RSCC), in California, conducted a series of focus group interviews with APA students to determine their characteristics and motivations. All…

Although the effort to restructure the American high school is in high gear, little attention has been directed to how changes in high schools' organizational structures might affect the dynamic of equity in student learning--the ways that schooling outcomes reflect students' social background. This paper aims to identify organizational properties…

A study at Barry University (Florida), a private, urban comprehensive university investigated factors in student retention. Demographic data, standardized test scores, and academic performance data were gathered for almost 3,000 students entering the university between fall 1991 and spring 1995. In addition, the students were surveyed on…

This institutional accountability plan and progress report for Pensacola Junior College (PJC) in Florida establishes institutional goals for 1995-96 to 1999-2000 and presents data on accountability outcomes measures for 1992-93. The report is submitted to the State Board of Community Colleges (SBCC) in compliance with Florida Statutes 240.324. The…

The Center for the Study for Community Colleges has examined community colleges in terms of the transfer function for over two decades, initiating the Transfer Assembly project in 1989 to collect hard, comparative data on transfer outcomes. In fall 1995, California's Cerritos College approached the Center for assistance in increasing its transfer…

The institutional effectiveness movement has emerged on the higher education agenda because of increased global competition, decreased funding levels, and a loss of public confidence in higher education. While the movement's emphasis on outcomes-based accountability has been integrated into state mandates, accreditation processes, and educational…

In the mid-1980's, the paradigm used by business and elected leaders for viewing higher education shifted toward an emphasis on accountability and institutional effectiveness. In general, community colleges have been more responsive than senior colleges to accountability mandates, in part because community colleges have measured their progress in…

During the 1989-90 school year, Tennessee established Project Challenge in 17 of Tennessee's poor and educationally low-performing counties. The program applied the results of Project STAR, a longitudinal experiment causally linking class size to student achievement. This paper presents findings of a study that evaluated Project Challenge by…

This paper presents findings of a study, conducted by the International School Effectiveness Research Programme (ISERP), that examined school effectiveness in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Data were analyzed at several levels: (1) at the individual level (student…

In an effort to effect institutional change through an analysis of institutional effectiveness, California's Fresno City College (FCC) undertook a 3-year project to examine student success. In order to determine appropriate measures of and methodologies for improving student success, a Student Success Task was established, developing 13 core…

Most of the industrialized world retains an obsolete, tracked, multitiered public education system that prepares some children for university and others for blue-collar jobs. This educational design neglects changes in technology, family structure, and community life, and its bureaucratized management values uniformity and process over initiative…

The General Accounting Office examined the relationship between proprietary schools' performance and their reliance on funds provided under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. Data were collected through a confidential mail survey of schools from the five proprietary school accrediting agencies. Responses were obtained from 1,181 (77%) of the…