This paper examines five key trends impacting higher education administration: (1) traditional funding sources are flat or decreasing; (2) public expectations and state mandates are calling for more reporting requirements and accountability; (3) consumer expectations demand more sophisticated services requiring greater access to date; (4) evolving…

Should teachers be held responsible for their long-term influence over students? Should monitoring systems be extended to cover the long-term impact of teachers, departments, and schools? This paper describes a longitudinal study that extended a British comprehensive monitoring system--the A Level Information System (ALIS)--to examine the effects…

Outcomes of a collaborative project among policymakers, researchers, and practitioners in Scotland to develop a framework of qualitative performance indicators for school self-evaluation and development planning are described in this paper. Following an introduction, the second section presents an overview of the Scottish public education…

Based on principals' own perceptions, this paper examines how the principal's role has changed, what constitutes principals' major problems or concerns, and how state and federal regulations and community pressures have affected the principal's role. The project identified and interviewed 56 public school principals for an 11-county area served by…

Since 1946, four major efforts to improve educational outcomes through shifts in governance have occurred in North Carolina. The 1989 reforms were characterized by an increase in rhetoric about local control and initiatives, teacher involvement, and school-based management. This paper surveys the last 50 years of educational reform policy in North…

This report was prepared in response to requests by Senators Specter and Kennedy for information regarding charter schools. It presents data on the following: the number of charter schools approved under state law; characteristics of charter-school instructional programs; factors for school autonomy; accountability mechanisms; and the challenges…

This document reports on the design, purpose, implementation, and outcomes of an October 1994 policy forum on the impact of the Goals 2000 program on students with disabilities. Conclusions and recommendations of the forum identified 31 critical activities grouped into six major strategies to ensure the inclusion of students with disabilities in…

Information about Colorado's second year of progress toward its 1995 educational goals is summarized. Data were based on a review of progress reports submitted to the State Board of Education by individual districts. Progress in addressing each of the state goals and priority objectives is evaluated in the following areas: (1) graduation rate…

This paper discusses the conflict created by two trends in education--the push for a multicultural curriculum and for accountability. Proponents of multicultural education argue that national standardized tests fail to tap diverse students' knowledge and problem-solving abilities. Approaches for reframing the paradox--diverse assessment,…

This paper examines whether the Title I/Chapter 1 tradition of leading the way in educational evaluation will continue or whether Chapter 1 will change its role by delegating decision-making authority over evaluation methodology to state and local school systems. Whatever direction Chapter 1 takes, states, school systems, and schools must be held…

Many states are adopting results-oriented school accountability systems. Some of the difficult issues that states are working through as they set up and implement strategies for academic intervention are discussed in this report. The report examines the "machinery" that needs to be in place to enable and support a program of state intervention…

There has been increasing concern about the accountability of federal programs in complying with laws and regulations and in achieving desired results. At the request of Congress, the Government Accounting Office examined how the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ensures Head Start accountability. Data were collected by means of…

This paper examines teachers' perceptions of policy related to accountability and professional development in site-based management. The methodology included the development and administration of the Teacher Professional Development and Accountability Questionnaire. Dimensions in the questionnaire were derived from policy documents on…

The various ways that standards and standards-based education are being addressed around the United States are described. The education community can trace the start of the modern standards movement to the publication of "A Nation at Risk" in 1983 (National Commission on Excellence). The first education summit in 1987 then became a…

Using Guilford County (North Carolina) School District's implementation of North Carolina ABCs legislation as a backdrop, this paper discusses the unintended consequences that school-improvement plans create for administration. The ABCs legislation ties a large-scale testing program to a requirement that each school develop a community-supported…