Today's modern roofs allow heat to build up in the roof membrane, eventually causing structural damage. An annual roof inspection typically costs less that 3% of roof replacement costs and can identify which areas need immediate attention. Offers suggestions for a roof-maintenance program. (MLF)

England's Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) was established as a government department independent of the Department for Education to inspect schools and improve standards of achievement. This article describes the training for the team members who will inspect special schools and recent findings from inspections of special schools. (JDD)

The National Playground Safety Institute believes it is essential to develop and administer a national voluntary certification program for playground safety inspectors. Certified individuals would routinely receive new information and instruction in new procedures. The paper discusses who should receive such certification and how they would be…

Reports on research at six Florida schools that identified common contributors to poor indoor air quality. Discusses the reasons behind the state implementing the research, the many problems associated with elevated humidity levels, and ways to improve air quality, which includes effective operational systems and maintenance procedures. (RJM)

Discusses how software programs can help managers evaluate roofing options, project maintenance, and repair costs. Describes how computerized roof management can aid in budgeting, facilitate the development of a roof-management database, and help in selecting the appropriate roof system. Offers tips on shopping for software. (RJM)

Outlines the context to the development of national standards in advice, guidance, and counseling. Reviews definitions of national occupations standards. Explains the approach to writing generic standards across the advice, guidance, and counselling fields. Examines ethics and equality in detail and generic standards imported from elsewhere.…

The article investigates the language and rhetoric used by school inspectors as leverage in determining the direction for professional practice among teachers in colonial Trinidad and Tobago. The approach is ethnohistorical, and the database comprises major evaluation reports of the inspectors in question in respect of one school over a 20-year…

This article examines the professional learning accruing from school-based initial teacher education (ITE) within the wider policy debate on school performance. It contrasts the very positive perceptions reported by teachers on the contribution of involvement in ITE to their professional learning with the less than fulsome attitude of school…

This report discusses the school aid increase enacted for New York State in 1998-1999. School aid for the year will increase by $850 million. However, it is argued that the Governor's vetoes of the Rebuild Schools to Uphold Education (RESCUE) program and teacher support aid betrays a certain lack of true reform within the budget. The changes made…

This book provides guidelines for conducting internal audits of school districts. The first five chapters provide an overview of internal auditing and describe techniques that can be used to improve or implement internal audits in school districts. They offer information on the definition and benefits of internal auditing, the role of internal…

Lesson plans are provided for the Fire Officer I course. Material for each lesson is presented in this format: course title, lesson title, equipment required, training aids needed, and a content outline which details teaching points and related instructor references. These references, or suggested readings, are listed at the conclusion of each…

This study evaluates a subjective performance-evaluation regime in place in the English public school system since the early 1990s. Under this regime, independent inspectors visit schools, assess schools' performance, and disclose their findings on the Internet. Inspectors combine hard metrics, such as test scores, with softer ones, such as…

Supporting performance objective 16 of the V-TECS (Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of States) Secretarial Catalog, both a set of student materials and an instructor's manual on editing and reviewing correspondence and reports are included in this packet. (The packet is the second in a set of three on inspecting and evaluating--CE 016…

Supporting performance objective 14 of the V-TECS (Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of States) Secretarial Catalog, both a set of student materials and an instructor'a manual on choosing methods of communication are included in this packet. (The packet is the third in a set of three on inspecting and evaluating--CE 016 981-983.) The…

This first in a series of eight modules for a course titled Mechanical Inspection describes the type of pumps used in nuclear power plant systems, the basic operating principles of each type, and the inspection activities performed by the quality assurance/quality control technician. The module follows a typical format that includes the following…