Two higher education leaders present perspectives on the meaning of the baccalaureate degree. The first argues that institutions can satisfy the need for public accountability for the degree without sacrificing autonomy. The second stresses that a clear statement of institutional objectives and desired outcomes is important and is consistent with…

Three articles consider methods of demonstrating the value of library services. The first discusses showing the relevancy of public library services at New England town meetings; the second describes ways in which the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library evaluates user satisfaction; and the third discusses justifying the value of a special library.…

Describes how Winnipeg public schools use an educational indicator system, including computer mapping graphics, to present indicator data to educational policymakers. Discusses issues and problems in the development and use of educational indicator systems, focusing on the relative importance of educational inputs, processes, and outcomes. (SV)

This article summarizes the 1992 British report, "Getting in on the Act," which examines implementation of the 1981 Education Act and recommends provisions for students with special needs. Criticisms of the 1981 Act focus on its lack of clarity, lack of accountability, and lack of incentives. A new relationship between local education…

Begun in 1977, British efforts toward school improvement through monitoring and accountability have failed, partly because of the failure of school self-evaluation and teacher resistance to monitoring and concern about professional autonomy. However, inspectors, researchers, and teachers have increased our understanding of school effectiveness.…

This paper argues that, if teachers are to be held accountable for instructional quality, then the educational establishment must be held accountable for providing teachers with relevant knowledge and the feasible professional tools derived from that knowledge. Suggestions are offered for developing this accountability, such as field testing…

Summarizes research supporting current beliefs in testing, identifies good assessment qualities, and reviews the current knowledge of test design. Standardized tests negatively affect academic program quality. Alternative assessments must be judged by their validity, reliability, consequences, fairness, generalizability, cognitive complexity,…

Cooperative learning can help children understand and accept children of other races. In cooperative learning, students work in small teams with students of differing abilities and help each other master material. The highly structured format involves five elements: positive interdependence, face-to-face interaction, individual and team…

To address concerns that universities are overcharging the federal government for indirect costs of research programs, data from seven major research universities were used to simulate a standardization of costs and policies to eliminate differences widely assumed to contribute to rate variation. Results suggest universities are not overcharging…

Teachers can benefit from teacher evaluation during professional education by developing and demonstrating competence. On the job, they can benefit in preparing for certification and winning a job and in improving performance and accountability. Evaluation helps in negotiations with the school district and in gaining national recognition for…

It is suggested that current Australian higher education policy focuses more on quality control than improvement. The way "quality" is presented in current federal policy documents is examined, and it is argued that an improvement approach could be used to generate new practices while meeting external pressures for accountability. (MSE)

Criticizes the emphasis of sports over academics at all levels of schooling, and the short length of the U.S. school year compared to that of other countries. Advocates minimum academic standards as a prerequisite for athletic participation, and students' choice of a college based on graduation rates rather than athletic achievement. (BC)

Changes in private and public sectors are redefining the university research administrator's role, shifting it from a management to a marketing perspective. Increasingly, administrators are accountable for responsible use of both research results and funds. This trend is providing new opportunities for professional growth. (Author/MSE)

Although the Total Quality Management (TQM) system offers an admirable goal and offers promise of organizational improvement, the process it recommends is not a panacea and may only forestall the conflict inevitably arising from decision making, individual accountability, and organizational change. The approach is being abandoned by some. (MSE)

It is argued that, before higher education can solve its fiscal problems and operational constraints, it must address some central contradictions in governance and management that derive from outmoded or cumbersome systems. It must then create new models of participation and governance and new patterns of decision making. (Author/MSE)