A coordinated system of assessment of principals, schools, and teachers can provide a broad base of informative data that can be used to enhance the instructional leadership provided by principals. Under its Education Improvement Act of 1984, South Carolina is incorporating eight elements into its coordinated assessment system: (1) assessment of…

Guidelines are presented to assist colleges in preparing for an evaluation by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The seven chapters provide: an outline of the purposes of self-study and the Commission's expectations for self-study; advice and suggestions for establishing a…

Assessments of organizational effectiveness in a sample of four-year institutions in 1976, 1980, and 1983 were used to investigate the potential causal directionality of unionism and organizational effectiveness. Nine dimensions of effectiveness were analyzed: student educational satisfaction, student academic development, student career…

A discussion of the history and current role of accrediting agencies in higher education in the United States is presented in this paper with an overview of the role of the Council of Postsecondary Accreditation (COPA). First, a brief history of the accreditation process during the past 70 years is presented; the roles of institutional and…

These standards and guidelines have been developed by the membership of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and approved by its governance as the best vehicle for evaluating the variety of special education personnel preparation programs. The CEC system of standard/guideline development assures the National Council for Accreditation of…

General information is given about the accreditation of postsecondary institutions by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The pamphlet contains the following sections: (1) introduction which explains institutional and specialized accreditation; (2) the purpose of the North…

Any university or college department that is conducting a self-study (self-evaluation) must do so in an organized and open-minded fashion. Too often persons can delude themselves into believing that they are conducting self-analysis when they are actually engaging in self-congratulations or conducting a disorganized search that will lead to…

Developed to assist librarians in the measurement and evaluation of the library's ability to provide services, this guide suggests a number of evaluation techniques that may be used once the reasons for a study have been clearly determined and locally peculiar conditions have been taken into account. The first section explains methods for…

Schools of education should spend at least eighteen months in planning for a team visit by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (N.C.A.T.E.). During this time, a coordinator and a steering committee of five to seven faculty members direct the process of preparation. Subcommittees should assume the responsibility of preparing…

The guide provides some basic strategies and tools for monitoring residential settings--both institutions and community residences--for the quality of services provided to persons with developmental disabilities. An introductory chapter explains the purpose and layout of the document. Chapter II describes how to find and understand public…

Accrediting standards are studied in a comparative analysis of the major areas of emphasis, commonality, and differences. Questions addressed include: Are standards quantitative or qualitative? Do they inhibit innovation and experimentation? Do accrediting agencies keep standards abreast of current developments? Are they more interested in form…

A discussion of France's National Evaluation Committee for higher education describes its origin and the rationale for its creation, the place it fills within higher education in that country, details of its first year's activity, typical procedures for institutional evaluation, and its general evaluation criteria. (Author/MSE)

Assessing the "fitness for purpose" of institutions of higher education (IHEs), Barnett examines purposes set by institutions themselves, and those set for them by society. Focuses on purposes which are general across all institutions, stating that in demonstrating their fitness for purpose, IHEs cannot neglect their internal purposes in…

The author describes the steps typically completed in the process of applying for institutional accreditation. These steps are (1) application, (2) self-evaluation report, (3) team visit, (4) team summary report, (5) commission action, and (6) appeals panel. (CH)

This brief summarizes a study by the Community College Research Center (CCRC) of community college management practices that promote student success. This study addresses the limitations of previous research on the effectiveness of undergraduate institutions in several ways. It takes advantage of a rich set of longitudinal student unit record data…