In summer 2004, the Head Start Bureau funded 24 Early Head Start programs to implement the Enhanced Home Visiting Pilot Project, an initiative designed to support the quality of care that kith and kin caregivers provide to infants and toddlers enrolled in home-based Early Head Start programs. At the same time, an evaluation of these pilot programs…

Among many publicly-funded school choice initiatives that have earned Florida the label "school choice central", none has reached as many children and families as charter schools. Charter schools have flourished in Florida largely because of the state's rapid population growth: many of the districts that are experiencing more than a 10…

This paper provides a synthesis of the literature on the role of benchmarking, with a focus on its use in the public sector. Benchmarking is discussed in the context of quality systems, of which it is an important component. The paper describes the basic types of benchmarking, pertinent research about its application in the public sector, the…

The 11 essays in this book address the issue of whether total quality management at institutions of higher learning offers the same benefits and promises as it does in other sectors. Titles include: (1) "Toward an Understanding of Total Quality Management: Its Relevance and Contribution to Higher Education" (Ronald R. Sims and Serbrenia…

The need to approach library management from an entrepreneurial business perspective is vital, whether the information facility is in a corporate, academic, public or school setting. Although librarianship is not a business, library management must be driven by the same characteristics-- responsibility, performance, and control--as any other…

This document is the self-study portion of the Standards and Procedures for Voluntary Accreditation of Early Childhood Education Programs in Missouri. The self-study, an opportunity for programs to demonstrate their ability to meet certain standards, consists of quality indicators under 6 major headings: (1) provide a healthy and safe environment…

This document is the self-study portion of the Standards and Procedures for Voluntary Accreditation of Early Childhood Education Programs in Missouri. The self-study, an opportunity for programs to demonstrate their ability to meet certain standards, consists of quality indicators under 6 major headings: (1) provide a healthy and safe environment…

This document is the self-study portion of the Standards and Procedures for Voluntary Accreditation of School Age Child Care Programs in Missouri. The self-study, an opportunity for programs to demonstrate their ability to meet certain standards, consists of quality indicators under 6 major headings: (1) provide a healthy and safe environment (43…

This policy brief examines the fundamental principles that undergird the current Total Quality Management (TQM) movement, describes application examples and discusses application problems particular to higher education. An opening section reviews the basic premises of TQM and differentiates between two perspectives on the approach: the first see…

Based on the work of the National Alliance of Community and Technical Colleges and the Center on Education and Training for Employment, this document addresses the subject of Total Quality Management (TQM) in the community and technical college by examining the concept, application, and implementation of TQM and the lessons learned. First, "The…

This review of the professional and programmatic literature in the field of developmental disabilities focuses on ways in which individuals with developmental disabilities and their families are becoming increasingly involved in program evaluation and quality assurance efforts. Three major movements are having an impact on this activity: state and…

Because the quality management (QM) movement can be very important in school improvement efforts, it is essential to determine how QM can fit with relatively new restructuring ideas and whether this approach is consistent with existing school structures and processes. This book presents an integrated approach to holistic quality management that…

Nine Canadian health libraries participated in a pilot test of the Benchmarking Tool Kit between January and April, 1998. Although the Tool Kit was designed specifically for health libraries, the content and approach are useful to other types of libraries as well. Used to its full potential, benchmarking can provide a common measuring stick to…

This report examines the changing nature of higher education policy and the fact that many policy assumptions are no longer valid, and sets out a research agenda for the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education (NCPPHE). It discusses how the growing importance of higher education, and postsecondary education in general, is affecting…

This document is one of three texts which comprise the written components of The Responsive College Programme dissemination materials. The program is designed to help colleges in the United Kingdom market themselves and their courses effectively, and this volume, which is freestanding and directed at both the general reader and the specialist,…