The Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities (UECU) was developed as an alternative form of postsecondary education, fostering the development of university without walls programs at a number of institutions and initiating its own undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Its commitment is to personalized, self-directed, lifelong…

The Research and Development Exchange (RDx) is a network of regional educational laboratories and university-based research and development centers working to support state and local school improvement efforts. Initiated by the National Institute of Education in 1976, the RDx is composed of eight Regional Exchanges and four central support…

This document is designed to introduce practitioners in the United Kingdom's learning and skills sector to the principles and practice of benchmarking. The first section defines benchmarking and differentiates metric, diagnostic, and process benchmarking. The remainder of the booklet details the following steps of the benchmarking process: (1) get…

This book, written from a British perspective, presents 17 papers on quality assurance in teaching at the university level. The first eight papers address issues of assuring quality and include: (1) "Quality Assurance for University Teaching; Issues and Approaches" (Roger Ellis); (2) "A British Standard for University…

This report reviews the structure of the guidance field and provides a sector-by-sector analysis of current quality assurance arrangements in the United Kingdom. Part 1 presents an outline of the guidance sector, including some key concepts, structures, and roles. It defines guidance and other terms; discusses the three main categories…

The use of target setting in conjunction with good information systems in colleges and work-based learning (WBL) providers can lead to improved service provisions across the sector in the United Kingdom. Target setting must be carried out in a systematic way in which providers must develop target- setting processes with a focus on learner success;…

This publication provides answers to basic questions to help school board members more fully address the complexities of the planning, design, and construction process in order to maximize the goal of student success. The 101 questions and answers are in the areas of: facility planning; learning environment; information technology; safe schools;…

This study of school-based mental health programs used stakeholder focus groups to examine factors related to positive treatment outcomes, barriers to accessing services, and methods for improving service delivery to high school students with emotional/behavioral disorders. Fifty-one high school students (34 receiving treatment) at three urban…

Internalization of higher education will be remembered as one of the major challenges and accomplishments of the last two decades. This paper introduces the concept of qualitative and quantitative tracking measures to enable a monitoring of progress and quality toward specified objects or targets. The purpose of this paper is: (1) to emphasize the…

Uses data from 39 countries to analyze how various institutional features and policies affected student performance on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. Students in countries with centralized exams, little teacher/union influence on budgets, and larger shares of private-school enrollments had significantly higher TIMSS scores.…

In the Schools Act No. 84 of 1996 school governing bodies are mandated to manage the funds of schools. The Act also provides guidelines for the school governing body and the principal on their roles and responsibilities in managing the finances of the school. However, some members of school governing bodies and principals either have little…

This annual report details activities by the New York State Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled, which oversees the public and private service system for individuals with mental disorders. The report notes that during 1994-1995, the Commission's cost-effectiveness studies identified over $15 million in potential savings, and…

This strategic plan outlines the goals and objectives for Kentucky's system of higher education from now until the turn of the century. Seven major goals are identified which address: 1) quality programs, (2) an educated citizenry, (3) equal opportunities, (4) economic development, (5) quality of life, (6) coordination, and (7) advocacy. For each…

This document describes six different approaches to outcomes assessments, approaches that are named in the titles of chapters 2 through 7. The chapters and authors are as follows: "Perspectives on Assessment Policy and Practice" (Bragg, Harmon); "Total Quality Management" (Bragg); "Assessing Student Success" (Harmon);…

This curriculum guide contains seven units related to Future Homemakers of America/Home Economics Related Occupations (FHA/HERO) and student participation in FHA/HERO. Information on use of the publication is followed by an instructional supplement that provides suggestions for teaching the basic skills included in each assignment sheet or job…