Minnesota's Family Service Collaboratives and Children's Initiative Partners encourage cooperation between communities and schools to improve the health of babies and children, increase school readiness, provide stable family environments, and promote basic academic skills. To fulfill the evaluation needs of these programs, this resource manual…

Pennsylvania's Clarion University plans to implement an electronic visit for the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education's (NCATE's) 2003 continuing accreditation visit. The College of Education and Human Services is committed to selecting and graduating outstanding candidates who are empowered with the knowledge, skills, and…

Community colleges are often seen as failing institutions due to their low graduation rates. However, a more appropriate assessment instrument may show that these colleges are more successful at fulfilling their missions than the public believes. Because students' motives for attending community colleges are many and varied, a more flexible…

The Blue Ribbon Schools (BRS) program was designed in 1982 with three purposes in mind: to identify and recognize outstanding schools; to provide schools a tool and criteria for self-assessment and improvement; and to facilitate the sharing of best practices among schools. This book presents profiles and best practices of 12 elementary, 2 middle,…

This paper offers an alternative ranking of top American research universities, criticizing the methodology used by US News & World Report and its commercialization. It begins by questioning two "givens"--the American pursuit of the "best" and the rankings "game" of trying to define the best colleges and…

This paper chronicles the development of national performance-based, subject matter knowledge and competencies standards for the preparation of new social studies teachers, exploring the implications of their recent implementation by colleges and universities nationally. The standards are at the forefront of performance assessments of beginning…

Secondary education continues to grow and expand while the number of high-school graduates increases from year to year. The percentage of graduates who continue on to a higher institution is also on the rise. Thus, a list of those secondary schools that do a standard quantity and quality of work is imperative for those who wish to apply for…

Analyzes the level of publishing productivity of faculty at 94 institutions with membership in the Association of Research Libraries using three citation indexes for 1991-93. Ranks members by number and per capita publications and finds no significant relationship between publishing measures and other variables: volumes, materials and total…

A study compared outcomes of a 1993 rating of Australian universities by the Commission for Quality in Higher Education with government grants to institutions for achieving equity goals and for strategies used to meet them, suggesting that the two issues are completely disassociated in funding considerations. Analysis of the data is detailed. (MSE)

Examines relationships which exist internationally between contexts, methods, and impact on institutions of external quality assessments in higher education. Argues that debates about quality assessment are frequently debates about power and change. Case studies of the University of Aalborg (Denmark), Uppsala University (Sweden), and Monash…

Provides an annotated bibliography reflecting the major issues involved in accountability and assessment programs at community colleges. Includes abstracts of documents contained in the ERIC database on assessment methods, student outcomes studies, and the use of assessment as a planning tool. (MAB)

The program on Institutional Management in Higher Education of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has been exploring international use of performance indicators for evaluating higher education institutions. The concept's historical context and evolution, findings of a task force, and importance of institutional context in…

It is argued that, although assessment of colleges and universities can promote discussion and encourage improvement of college instruction, accountability serves only to further chill the regulatory climate without specifying needs or solutions. As currently conceived, accountability cannot receive widespread faculty support because it usurps…

Presents an interview with Richard Kunkel, Executive Director of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) from 1984-90 (a time when NCATE was undergoing a major change). Kunkel discusses the impact of accreditation and the NCATE redesign on the improvement of the teaching profession. (SM)

Total Quality Management is described as a means for developing institutionwide participation in planning and implementing a continuous college improvement process and is contrasted with more traditional student outcomes assessment. Examples of using this approach to effect process improvement, comprehensive ownership and responsibility,…