In the 1991 Gallup Poll, Americans overwhelmingly supported a strong educational system as fundamental to national well-being. Respondents' opinions were more divided about achievement of national education goals, accountability measures, expanded school schedules, publicly supported preschools, a national curriculum, school choice, teacher pay…

Instead of relying on standardized test scores and interdistrict comparisons, school systems must develop a more powerful, timely, and local approach to accountability that is truly client-centered and focused on results. Accountability requires giving successful teachers the freedom and opportunity to take effective ideas beyond their own…

Eastern Illinois University's Health Studies Department is developing a comprehensive plan for evaluating the professional preparation program. The article describes its methods, discussing how the plan can be adapted for other situations and noting how to use the Role Delineation Project Curriculum Framework to collect relevant, informative…

As part of Alberta's provincial initiative, stakeholders (staff, parents, students, and community members) at each school in Grande Prairie School District identified indicators of quality education in the areas of student achievement, school climate, instructional quality, and funding. Results were used to develop an individualized evaluative…

Some examples of the conflict between the child-centered educational approach and the development of objectives-based programs are drawn from experiences in Ontario (Canada) concerning student achievement assessment. Educational implications of these two conflicting models are considered, highlighting weaknesses of the child-centered approach.…

Addresses issues related to the need for and development of standards for Professional Development Schools (PDSs), describing the work of the PDS Standards Field-Test Project (operating under the auspices of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education). The paper discusses what PDS work is, characteristics of PDS work, conditions…

Examines ways in which the demand for quality and changes affecting teaching and learning are intersecting in Australian higher education, and forecasts ways quality will be managed in the next century. Discusses the trend toward institutional diversity, the impact of communication and information technologies, rise of collaborative teaching on…

Complete performance-based accountability systems (PBASs) have four components: standards and assessments, multiple indicators, rewards, and sanctions. A Colorado survey revealed that teachers felt significantly more accountable in their classrooms than in their buildings for learning climate; curriculum; standards; student behavior, achievement,…

Appalachian continuities include attachment to land and religion, high teen pregnancy, and low literacy and income. Trends in Appalachia that institutions of higher education must address are higher rates of college attendance, migration to urban areas, changes in student learning styles, and increasing pressure to educate students to workplace…

Uses data from pilot year of Pre-school Education Initiative in Scotland to look at the impact of government-introduced voucher system intended to expand preschool provision. Identifies four changes in provision and for the culture: playroom activities, expectations for purpose/outcomes of program, parental roles, and requirements for quality…

A survey of 22 dental-hygiene-program directors found that programs routinely and effectively assess student outcomes and use the information for program improvements and to demonstrate accountability. Both policy and faculty/administrative support were deemed important to implementation. Time constraints were a major barrier. Outcomes-assessment…

Voucher proposals raise disturbing questions about public information, equity, segregation, and state-church separation. Under Milwaukee's program, which gives poor students public vouchers to attend private and religious schools, participating schools are exempt from open meetings laws, teacher certification rules, statewide testing, and salary…

Critiques a collection of articles on accountability, testing, and academics in schools with minority group and low-income students, examining their polar positions and explaining that polar positions are often equally biased. Expresses concerns about the TAAS, discussing what changes are needed in the educational system and the TAAS in order for…

Outlines the role of California policymakers as they work to shift the focus of educational reform from rules and processes to student achievement and accountability. Describes the Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999, the most immediate and comprehensive of California's new laws. Shows how it defines fundamental questions of who should be…

Under a bill amending Ontario, Canada's Educational Accountability Act, teachers were expected to resume formerly "voluntary" extracurricular duties they resigned when ordered to teach an extra class. The government's strategy to recast these activities as "co-instructional" did not fly. However, the education minister is…