Composition teachers can learn from nonteachers who evaluate writing. A comparison of nonteacher and teacher responses to the same student writing revealed that the teachers were much more negative in their evaluations. Studies have also indicated that teachers did not grade according to their own declared criteria. These inconsistencies and…

A case study of the Urban Consumer Education Project (UCEP)--a cooperative program of the St. Louis (Missouri) public schools and the Missouri Attorney General's Division of Consumer Protection--shows how point of view can shape a project's development and evaluation. "Point of view" here means knowing what one wants to do and how and…

The project described in this report was conducted to identify what information about program characteristics was considered most useful by administrators in Florida's community college system in making decisions about program quality and to produce profiles of program characteristics to facilitate the decision-making process. Chapter I contains…

A Quality Assurance Program (QAP) has been established by North Carolina as a means of assuring competent professional programs for teacher education. The QAP is based on two major premises: (1) Crucial competencies for teacher effectiveness can be identified, verified, and validated; and (2) Teacher education begins at initial entry and…

Program evaluation research, including reputational studies and studies based on objective indicators, and research on the quantitative correlates of program quality are reviewed. Reputational studies, which have dominated research on program quality in higher education, emphasize peer evaluation. Some major reputational studies of graduate…

The sophomore screening process at New Mexico State University's College of Education, designed to assure quality and commitment in prospective teachers, has three major components. The first is pre-screening, which requires that students successfully complete coursework in orientation to education, introduction to human growth and behavior,…

Progress made in the University College of the University of Louisville in a competency-oriented general education program, with a supporting remedial skills component, is reported. The theoretical bases of competency-based developmental education in the liberal arts and the Louisville schema of basic or remedial skills that underly the higher…

Information is presented on policies and administration of professional leave activity in the public two-year and four-year institutions of higher education in Washington State. The survey of a sample of 1979-81 leaves sought information on selection criteria, purposes, and evaluation of accomplishments. Questions provided data on the following:…

Employers and school admissions officials must consider several factors when making choices among applicants, particularly when faced with a need to increase selection of minority group members. Should different standards be applied to different groups? Will acceptance of less qualified applicants from one group affect the overall quality of the…

A perspective on quality in higher education suggests that standards and assumptions about quality that have been traditionally accepted for upper level colleges are not applicable to community colleges. It is proposed that quality standards be established for community colleges to reflect their unique mission and goals. The most distinctive…

Perspectives on the Bakke Supreme Court decision are considered. It is claimed that some of the distortions in the public perception of the Bakke case are the responsibility of the media coverage. Although the Court said that race may be a factor in the admissions process, many people, with the effect of headlines of "Bakke Wins," think…

Perspectives on testing and affirmative action are considered. The following issue areas are addressed: the validity and fairness of admission tests; information relevant to the admission of students that is not readily scored or quantified and that may be obtained through interviews, recommendations, accomplishments, and other information…

Pre-enrollment characteristics that distinguish nonpersisting students from students who persist into the second semester of their freshman year were studied at the University of Iowa in 1978. Three sources of information were used to obtain predictor variables: American College Testing (ACT) program test scores, the ACT Student Profile, and high…

There are four conditions that will enhance professional practice in schools and departments of education. The first condition is the necessity for commitment on the part of the education department and its faculty. As professionals, faculty must be committed to providing essential services to individuals and society, make decisions in the…

Control of traffic around school areas is one of the most important factors to be considered when selecting and designing a school site plan. To provide positive safeguards, it is necessary to establish and encourage school administrators to adopt a comprehensive set of guidelines. This booklet is directed to all personnel involved either in…