The University of Phoenix has developed a comprehensive outcomes and impact assessment program to assess the effects of a university education on students, particularly adult students. The program is integrated with the existing process assessment systems. Process assessments, which the university refers to as the Academic Quality Management…

Determining the effectiveness of a school's programs and personnel, responding to the public's pleas for quality education, finding ways to enhance teaching and learning, and helping parents and the community to cope with the problems of raising children are all major tasks faced by principals. Ten issues of evaluation are considered in these…

The reflective practice of principalship differs from other ways of practicing principalship by viewing the principal's problems as unique rather than as standard problems susceptible to standardized solutions. This book provides information, raises questions, and considers the complexities of school problems, all as raw material for the…

A study of two neighboring rural school districts in New York State was undertaken to determine if differences in educational quality existed between the two communities--Applegate and Bakerville--and to identify factors affecting educational quality. Comparison of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics included racial and ethnic…

In order to develop a formula to measure effective schooling and student achievement, a number of reports on excellence in education were reviewed: (1) The National Commission on Excellence in Education's report, "A Nation at Risk"; (2) The Education Commission of the States Task Force on Education for Economic Growth report; (3) The…

In 1984 and 1985, professional personnel from each college in Alabama were asked to assist the Alabama State Board of Education in resolving long-standing issues and concerns. This progress report summarizes the Alabama College System's accomplishments during this period. Following introductory comments by the chancellor and a list of the members…

Owners of all types of real properties, especially owners and occupants of big city downtown properties, have a high investment in the educational quality of the local labor force, and should encourage improvement even if it results in increased property taxes. Every real estate investment is "locked in" to the specific geographic…

The purpose of this paper is to identify those programs and processes currently using the components, factors, and behaviors that have been described in the literature as characteristic of more effective schools, and to synthesize findings from these programs and processes carrying out effective schooling practices. Following an introduction,…

School administrators in the 1980's must learn to provide stronger instructional leadership to improve student achievement and restore public confidence in education. School improvement will occur, however, only as a result of changes in attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors. Only when teachers have worked out their own concerns regarding a given…

Prepared by a state educational planning committee, this report uses key indicators to describe the status of the Delaware school system. Sets of comparative data selected from various national studies and from state surveys appear throughout the report. The statistical material is supplemented with descriptions of trends and discussions of the…

A study examined the relative effectiveness of three alternative delivery systems for secondary vocational education--vocational high schools, comprehensive high schools, and area vocational centers. It also ascertained how well secondary vocational education is serving women, minority groups, handicapped individuals, economically disadvantaged…

This document is a record of the proceedings of a symposium for outstanding teachers and principals from all 50 states and trust territories, jointly sponsored by the Burger King Corporation, the Council of Chief State School Officers, and the National Association for Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and held in December 1984 at Captiva Island,…

Conducted by the Council for Educational Development and Research, a national survey asked educators representing the nation's 8,889 small, rural school districts to indicate which of 40 items/issues facing rural, small schools needed improvement. The 4,364 respondents (827 school board presidents, 1,251 district superintendents, 1,283 principals,…

The back-to-basics movement and public demands for educational quality guarantees have led state education agencies (SEA's) to examine their options in four areas: definition of the basics, relevant curricular and programming alternatives, alternatives for evaluating achievement of basics-related goals, and methods of reporting achievements to the…

This is an ethnographic report on a poor, black-populated, inner city school that is considered effective in an environment where others are failing. The study sought to provide a qualitative account that would allow identifying what factors make for school success. Positive community perceptions of the school and data on student achievement…