This testimony discusses issues related to degrees from "diploma mills" and other unaccredited postsecondary schools, also noting whether federal employees who held senior level positions had degrees from such schools. From February 2003-February 2004, researchers searched the Internet for nontraditional, unaccredited, postsecondary schools that…

The question is not whether their ought to be credentialing, but rather who should do it and how it should be done. (HS)

A plea for the retention of professional status for all teaching functions. Author believes this means a mandated minimum preparation with its essential features determined by the totality of practitioners. (RB)

Discusses legal bases on which administrator selection procedures will be challenged; suggests steps that school officials should take to insure legality of selection procedures. (LR)

Environmental Health Proficiency Examinations which are based on the Role Delineation Study were developed for use by registration agencies. To validate the examinations, performance measures of on-the-job practice were administered along with the examinations. Results show that examinations are valid but not perfect predictors of on-the-job…

The demand for credentials and college degrees in the United States has spawned the establishment of many degree-granting institutions that are nothing more than diploma mills. Despite some indicators of institutional quality, such as accreditation and state licensing, the identification of substandard colleges is not always an easy task. (WD)

Examines the issue of professional certification for educational technologists. The definitions of certification, accreditation, and licensure are presented, as well as the benefits and pitfalls of certification programs and the role of professional organizations, including AECT. Five related readings are suggested. (BK)

This article discusses the controversy surrounding the registration of engineers. Viewpoints of both industry and the Society for Professional Engineers are presented. (CS)

This article presents results and recommendations of the ACES Licensure Commission study on the licensing of counselors. (Author)

Interviews and case studies involved 80 British universities, National Training Organizations, small business services, learning and skills councils, employers, and student completers of higher-level National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs). The most successful NVQs are linked to professional qualification paths and have generic application. Some…

"Typical" paper credentials were used to create 12 hypothetical teacher candidates. Credential contents were varied to reflect all combinations of college preparatory institutions (Holmes vs. traditional), education degree types, and chronological ages. Randomly selected high school principals then evaluated candidates. Holmes-prepared…

Training for nurses working with children predates training for care of adults. Key issues in children's nursing have not changed in the last century. They include its undervalued status within the profession and the place of specialized education. (Contains 28 references and commentary by Tony Long.) (SK)

Forty former rehabilitation counseling clients returned a mail questionnaire that requested them to write descriptions of "ideal" and minimally qualified rehabilitation counselors. Relational values and qualities represented the most frequent categories for the ideal counselor descriptors; demographic characteristics were mentioned least. Broader…