As part of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools self-study process for reaffirmation of accreditation, Gainesville College (GC) conducted its second decennial needs assessment survey in fall 1990 to obtain data to assist in college planning and program improvement. Separate survey instruments were developed to gather data from…

Distributive Information Systems for Campuses (DISC) is a project to increase the data access and information generating capabilities of schools of the Austin (Texas) Independent School District by decentralizing data manipulation functions, while maintaining centralized data processing of major applications. The project means that campuses will…

This paper briefly reviews the literature on the common factors in effective college student retention programs, then presents a study assessing the impact of the institution's mission effectiveness as distinct from other determinants of student retention. The assessment of retention predictors and the effects of the school's mission were…

Prepared pursuant to new Maryland accountability requirements, this report offers information on access and equity; student goal achievement; transfer preparation; employment and economic development; and student involvement, community involvement, and cultural activities at Charles County Community College (CCCC). The report's preface provides…

The accountability system that is being implemented in the Dallas Independent School District (Texas) is a three-tier system. The first tier focuses at the school level. The second involves the District Improvement Plan, setting district accountability objectives. The third tier involves school effectiveness indices, which take into account…

This long-term follow-up study, conducted in the summer of 1998 by Johnson County Community College (JCCC, Kansas) focused on graduates, certificate recipients, and students identified by career program administrators as leaving with marketable skills in 1993-94. Since first administering this type of survey in 1989, JCCC has gained a broader…

The keynote addresses introduced conference participants both to general perspectives on school choice and to a specific focus on Maryland issues, concerns, and problems. In the panel discussion, four educational administrators discussed particular aspects of choice plans in their own subdivisions in different states. In the six discussion groups,…

A series of focus-group interviews was conducted to explore the meaning of selected indicators of school climate to teachers and other school personnel. The selected indicators focused on encouragement and recognition of school personnel as aspects of school climate. School personnel were interviewed in groups of 5 or 6 in 27 schools with…

Information was gathered about how Technical and Further Education (TAFE) agencies throughout Australia were implementing and using performance indicators. The context of TAFE's perceived mission and corporate goals were considered. A history of the development of national performance indicators in TAFE was compiled. The project drew heavily on…

In 1988, in preparation for its 10-year reaccreditation, Howard Community College (HCC), in Maryland, undertook a comprehensive examination of its long-range planning process and formulated a number of strategic priorities. As part of HCC's customer service priority, two survey instruments, Quality Evaluation of Service Trends (QUEST) and the…

Since 1988, state governments have been required to collect quarterly from private sector employers gross earnings by Social Security numbers, industry of employment, and county of employment. A study was conducted of 13 states' efforts to use this wage record database as a tool for improving educational accountability and assessing the impact of…

This paper challenges the current conventional policy view of time as a critical resource for learning. After reviewing literature on the subject, the paper analyzes the contribution of instructional time to learning using data from primary schools in Pakistan. The principal finding reported in this paper is that the amount of contact time between…

The effect of alternating criterion-referenced tests (CRTs) with norm-referenced tests (NRTs) when evaluating schools was studied in a sample of 242 Louisiana public elementary schools accounting for over 18,000 third graders tested in 1989. The study used five separate multiple regression models, each producing studentized residuals used as…

In January 1990, the Leon County (Florida) School District decided to develop an attitude survey focusing on effective school components and school improvement areas. Using focus groups, this survey was accomplished through a steering committee of parents, students, teachers, and community members, with input from school and district…

A study was conducted to provide a better understanding of the nature and the operation of the institutions in which exemplary vocational education programs exist. The study employed an interpretive ethnographic design that sought meaning and understanding from within the context of the setting. Twenty-five institutions offering exemplary…