In 1959, France passed the Debre Act, inaugurating massive subsidies for private education by contracting secular instruction to private schools signing contracts. The policy has successfully provided parents with school choice without increasing social stratification but has led to some financial and political accountability problems. Choice…

Since 1987, Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Public Schools' Propel project has been using student portfolios to integrate assessment with learning and is now piloting portfolio assessment for public accountability. Unlike Vermont's system, which asks for students' best work, Pittsburgh's assessment reflects what the community typically expects from its…

Although the New York State reading assessment was aimed at identifying children with extra educational needs, one study shows that the current high-stakes nature of the tests has distorted that intent. Rather than rewarding instructional quality, state accountability profiles often reward questionable instructional practices such as retention in…

Describes a method used to enable business or organizational leaders to commit to and be accountable for training programs designed for employees or group members. The key ingredients in the development of a charter and an accountability plan are briefly described, and the application of the approach to a large manufacturing plant is discussed.…

NCATE (the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education) has been unable to unify the teaching profession through professional accreditation standards; the largest impediment has been assertion of states' rights. The adoption of a common system of national accreditation is virtually a prerequisite to developing a respected,…

The School Site Allocations Model, tested in five Ohio districts, consists of the following subsystems: administration, facilities and operations, staff support and development, pupil support, and instruction. Applying these functions at the central office and at the school site can help districts determine how well they are managing their…

The former president of Harvard University (Massachusetts) argues that college and university public relations specialists must attempt to understand what underlies the public's concerns about higher education, rather than simply to react to individual complaints. To reclaim public trust, higher education's leaders must consider carefully how they…

Ways in which college public relations officers have addressed public concerns about higher education are detailed. Campus communicators are encouraged to cooperate within and among institutions to encourage public appreciation of higher education's role in society. (MSE)

Discussion of faculty status for academic librarians focuses on the reasons for and the impact of recent library school closings. Topics addressed include professional identity; the service functions of librarians versus teaching, research, and publication requirements of traditional tenure; accountability to the larger institution; and staffing…

Characterizing this special "Kappan" section on test-based accountability as a cautionary plea, this article sees five themes: tests seldom measure what matters; standardization gets confused with standards; tests constitute a limited reform lever; test-based accountability plans often misplace trust and protection; and the…

The Teachers Insurance and Annuities Association (TIAA) is criticized for inadequate financial disclosure of its mortgage and real estate investments, especially in the current market. A TIAA vice president responds that the company has not been remiss in reporting changes to its constituents and outlines its present financial status. (MSE)

In response to changing government philosophy concerning higher education, including increased institutional autonomy alongside greater pressure for accountability and internal renewal, Dutch universities have developed a system for external quality assessment under the aegis of the Association of Dutch Universities. Its evolution and results to…

Examines the current national policy situation regarding quality assurance in the United Kingdom, as revealed through the work of the Audit Commission and the local education authorities' early responses to that work. Describes current quality assurance practices in Barset as perceived by various authority respondents, comparing it to Dorset's…

Examines the principal assessment process in measuring accountability for facilitating academic improvement. The article raises several conceptual and methodological issues on developing principal assessment models, provides data on issues in the development of evaluation models for principal assessment, and presents a basic model for principal…

As New York City Schools' Chancellor Joseph Fernandez and staff worked to save jobs and essential services without drastically cutting services or fragmenting the teaching force, they uncovered layers of scandal and corruption. Board was uncooperative and too inexperienced to understand subtle differences between policymaking and administration.…