A few major concepts about evaluation and accountability are examined briefly, and related to one another in a manner providing a simple portrayal of part of the mosaic of educational evaluation and accountability. This paper is not intended for evaluation specialists or schoolmen well versed in evaluation theory and practice, but for the…

This monograph addresses the issue of needs assessment in the educational process and how it applies to the school counselor's role. The authors provide information on the process of needs assessment, from the initial step of obtaining commitment to the final outcome of improved program planning and development. Using an example common to many…

The Congressional Rural Caucus, the Midwest Caucus of Democratic Senators, and a number of Republican Senators are all focusing their attention on rural issues and problems. (Author)

During the time author Pauline Leonard was writing this paper, Hurricane Katrina thrust itself upon the Gulf Coast, including many communities in southeast Louisiana. In the wake of the storm, reports emerged of the devastation, loss of life and destruction to property. Writing about personal experiences with developing and implementing…

A system for the statewide coordination of higher education that emphasizes centralized accountability and decentralized management should ensure that the concept of institutional autonomy is preserved. (Editor/PG)

Author reasons that the results promised by planned change and policy science cannot replace purpose, that there are not enough talented people to provide alternative learning, and that accountability may drown in its own paperwork. Consensus may exist in the agreement that no organizing principle can be found. (Editor/PG)

California's review process has been designed to judge the effects of the school program on students and staff and to identify opportunities for improving the program. Program reviews, which may be conducted by the state Department of Education, county or district personnel, or school staff, are developed primarily from observation of individual…

This evaluation guide is designed to assist local community college instructors, administrators, and other persons in the evaluation of their agricultural occupations program. The first of three sections provides an introduction and discusses (1) how standards benefit students, colleges, and the community; (2) how to prepare for a review of the…

The attribution of responsibility literature may suffer from the lack of an appropriate conceptual basis. Although past research has demonstrated the usefulness of Heider's levels of responsibility framework, one facet of Heider's theory that has received little attention is the justification level. Occupational role constraints and severity of…

Arguments against competency testing surface continually, and classic counter-arguments reoccur. Nevertheless, minimum competency testing and other accountability efforts have much public support. Those claiming that the tests are not relevant or do not have predictive validity, also say they are coachable and biased. Answers are given to these…

Every program evaluation should provide formative as well as summative data; evaluators should tell educators more about the causes of program failure and less about the consequences. Evaluation should address itself primarily to program improvement rather than to program assessment. Such an emphasis has been previously impossible since little has…

This paradigm for accountability in education is based upon three concepts: (1) that the analysis and assessment of teachers lead to the establishment of growth and development programs for teachers and that these evaluations be based upon the specific roles that teachers are performing at any given time; (2) that the continuous progress of…