To help educators understand their legal responsibilities when supervising students, this article reviews the elements of negligence (duty, breach, injury, and causation) an injured party must prove to hold an educator or school system legally accountable. The article also reviews basic defenses to negligence: immunity, comparative/contributory…

Schools are considering team evaluation, or 360-degree feedback, because student achievement is not improving with single evaluators, and employees get too-similar ratings. Iowa State University's School Improvement Model ensures that teachers and principals listen to their customers, not only to their supervisors. In a sidebar, a Massachusetts…

As principals and other administrators increasingly find themselves being held accountable for various school performance measures, they must recognize the deleterious effects of poorly performing teachers and learn to evaluate all teachers more truthfully. Documentation will be effective only if it is honest, straightforward, and complete.…

Advises administrators not to procrastinate on their district's compilation of disaggregated data on student achievement and teacher qualifications. Outlines the data requirements for NCLB compliance. (MLF)

Outlines a sociocultural perspective on program evaluation consistent with sociocultural views of knowing and learning. Perspective is characterized by rigorous use of multiple-choice tests, performance assessments, and event-based analyses; a dialectical approach to conflicting conclusions from individual assessments and between individual and…

The director of "The Futures Project: Policy for Higher Education in a Changing World" discusses the competitive environment of higher education, the emergence of new providers, and the effect of market forces on accountability and responsiveness. Addresses policies and institutional strategies for this new environment. (SK)

Summary of Koret Task Force report on the state of elementary/secondary education. Highlights findings of 1983 National Commission on Excellence in Education report "A Nation at Risk" and the response thereto. Discusses why educational change efforts have resulted in so little improvement in student performance. Highlights findings and…

Argues that market-driven education (charter schools, vouchers) is the most effective, albeit overlooked, reform strategy since publication of "A Nation at Risk." Describes corresponding growth of for-profit school management. Offers several recommendations to improve effectiveness of market-based reforms, such as state' continuing…

Discusses problems facing teacher education in the United States today, suggesting parameters for teacher education standards and examining accountability and standards. The paper explains why standards are not the answer, focusing on the need for teacher educators to have historical, normative, and sociological perspectives and assessing six…

New accountability requirements contain provisions that mandate the participation of students with disabilities in large-scale assessments and the public reporting of these students' performance along with other important educational outcomes. Discusses the technical, legal, and practical challenges to implementing the new accountability mandates.…

Provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) are putting pressure on schools. Last year, schools were only required to show gains for entire grade levels. This year, all states must also show specified improvement in various subgroups. Provides five examples. The National Education Association plans to file a lawsuit over the unfounded…

Discusses the impact of trends in higher education regarding increasing demands for accountability, greater financial efficiency, increasing use of technology, and changes in organization and governance. Discusses the implications for law schools. (EV)

Reviews dimensions of quality and ways of assessing these in counseling settings, with particular emphasis on the development of ongoing programs of quality improvement. Programs are described as mechanisms for science-practice integration within counseling settings, providing decision-support tools for triage, treatment planning, and the…

Describes a code of ethics that reflects the unique history of the human service profession. Provides a definition for human services and gives guidelines in meeting responsibility to clients, to the community and society, and to colleagues. Also provides statements guiding responsibility to the profession, to employers, and to self. (RJM)

Britain's new inspection system requires that schools be assessed for efficiency and value for money. Drawing on a content analysis of 66 secondary school inspection reports, this paper considers implementation problems and whether schools have adopted the rational approach to resource management. Few schools had successfully adopted all elements…