Describes the state networks of education service agencies (ESAs) in Georgia, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Wisconsin. Compares state ESA accreditation programs with regard to intent, evaluation methods, standards employed, use of performance indicators, and sanctions for poor performance. Contains 12 references. (SV)

Problems when developing and operating a successful student assessment program are described. Potential problems and solutions in three major areas are examined: the purposes and definitions of assessment, program implementation, and assessment designs and methods. (Author/MLW)

Compares the organization and effectiveness of public and private schools in New York (New York). Argues that successful schools have a large degree of autonomy and are accountable to their constituencies through the process of competition and choice. (FMW)

A collaborative arrangement between education and business could have benefits for both. Schools could learn about fiscal accountability, empowering subordinates, and corporate culture from businesses. Business leaders could learn from school leaders about how people acquire knowledge, professional development, and remotivating the unproductive…

If school restructuring simply means dismantling centralized authority, the resulting centrifugal tendency will diminish accountability. Schools today need impulses of integration, not disintegration. The main problem is deciding what we want the schools to accomplish. An inset describes a Pennsylvania district's removal of reform obstacles. (MLH)

True educational reform is the creation of a renewed identity at the school and classroom level when teachers and students interact in new, more productive ways. This article describes California's educational reform movement, presents evidence of successful change, and identifies where continued work needs to be done. (TE)

Investments in instructional information technologies must be a part of and reflect the direction and values of the institution's academic program. The course-by-course method of justification provides a sound planning tool, complete with requisite budgetary and staffing projections. (MLW)

Examines the policy preferences of approximately 111 principals in Tasmania (Australia) concerning accountability criteria and processes. Comparing their views and those of stakeholder groups (parents and teachers) helps identify issues related to teaching, learning, and educational leadership. Tasmanian state schools probably need to review and…

The evolution of the current relationship between state governments and institutions of higher education is chronicled, focusing on the oversight role taken on by the state in the interest of providing services and facilities for the public good. The place of student outcomes assessment in this relationship is examined. (MSE)

Examines the reality of program evaluations for family-school-community partnerships. Reports on a preliminary analysis of evaluations for 30 federally funded programs. Compares programs across four categories: planning, monitoring, impact assessment, and economic efficiency. Findings show that these program evaluations are not well done and that…

The state policy implications of using higher education performance indicators for accountability purposes are examined, based on the experiences of 10 case study states (Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin) and others that have initiated such efforts. Specific issues that must be…

The University of Nebraska Lincoln has developed a process for nonacademic program review based on the criteria used for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. This framework provides seven categories of specific criteria that can be applied in institutional self-study to determine the organization's ability to satisfy customers and remain…

This paper describes an educational accountability system that provides needed accountability along with the data necessary for school improvement. The accountability system, which is being implemented in the Dallas (Texas) schools, is a three-tier system moving from the school level through district improvement plans to school improvement…

Discusses a process developed at Moss Point High School (Mississippi) to help students plan their hypermedia projects and help teachers evaluate student efforts and products. Highlights include specific standards; project components; network maps; project criteria; storyboards; oral presentations; accountability; group processing; time frame; and…

Researchers used a fifth-grade videodisc fractions program to examine accountability in mastery learning programs. Four classes were randomly assigned to two treatments (those who were and were not aware of participation in mastery learning). Results revealed standardized mean differences for achievement favoring knowledge of being in the mastery…