This report uses a question-and-answer format to address questions raised by parents, educators, and community members concerning accountability and inclusion of students with disabilities in educational assessment programs. The philosophy underlying the inclusion of all students in educational accountability systems is based on three assumptions:…

Focusing on five priority areas for 1996-98 identified by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), this report describes outcomes for the areas as of January 1997. Following the mission and vision statements of the ICCB, outcomes are described for the following goal areas: (1) ensuring a focus on teaching and learning, including objectives…

Submitted to the State Legislature by the University and Community College System of Nevada (UCCSN), this 4-year planning report reviews System outcomes for the past decade and funding priorities for 1997 to 2001. The first part provides the UCCSN mission statement, a description of strategic directions, and campus academic plans for the System's…

In response to 1986 state legislation calling for improvements in college effectiveness and accountability, the California Community Colleges began various efforts to promote the evaluation of matriculation. One effort, the Matriculation Local Research Options Project, was formed in 1989 to develop models for local evaluation of matriculation and…

This paper presents a proposal for a modified school choice program that may serve as a public policy compromise to the current politicized and entrenched choice or no-choice positions. The Three Year-Three Step Performance Guarantee involves both choice and vouchers. The use of vouchers, however, is not directed at reforming schools, but at…

This digest is based on a full-length report (with the same title) on advisory committees to universities and colleges. Under decreased resources and increased pressures for more accountability, advisory committees are an effective way for colleges and universities to connect with their environments. An advisory committee is a group of volunteers…

This report addresses the advisory committee's role in the administration of institutions of higher education. Under decreased resources and increased pressures for more accountability, advisory committees are an effective way to help connect universities and colleges to their environments. Advisory committees may range from those that consult to…

This paper examines five key trends impacting higher education administration: (1) traditional funding sources are flat or decreasing; (2) public expectations and state mandates are calling for more reporting requirements and accountability; (3) consumer expectations demand more sophisticated services requiring greater access to date; (4) evolving…

Should teachers be held responsible for their long-term influence over students? Should monitoring systems be extended to cover the long-term impact of teachers, departments, and schools? This paper describes a longitudinal study that extended a British comprehensive monitoring system--the A Level Information System (ALIS)--to examine the effects…

Outcomes of a collaborative project among policymakers, researchers, and practitioners in Scotland to develop a framework of qualitative performance indicators for school self-evaluation and development planning are described in this paper. Following an introduction, the second section presents an overview of the Scottish public education…

Based on principals' own perceptions, this paper examines how the principal's role has changed, what constitutes principals' major problems or concerns, and how state and federal regulations and community pressures have affected the principal's role. The project identified and interviewed 56 public school principals for an 11-county area served by…

Since 1946, four major efforts to improve educational outcomes through shifts in governance have occurred in North Carolina. The 1989 reforms were characterized by an increase in rhetoric about local control and initiatives, teacher involvement, and school-based management. This paper surveys the last 50 years of educational reform policy in North…

This report was prepared in response to requests by Senators Specter and Kennedy for information regarding charter schools. It presents data on the following: the number of charter schools approved under state law; characteristics of charter-school instructional programs; factors for school autonomy; accountability mechanisms; and the challenges…

This document reports on the design, purpose, implementation, and outcomes of an October 1994 policy forum on the impact of the Goals 2000 program on students with disabilities. Conclusions and recommendations of the forum identified 31 critical activities grouped into six major strategies to ensure the inclusion of students with disabilities in…

Information about Colorado's second year of progress toward its 1995 educational goals is summarized. Data were based on a review of progress reports submitted to the State Board of Education by individual districts. Progress in addressing each of the state goals and priority objectives is evaluated in the following areas: (1) graduation rate…