The State of Arkansas, through legislation, has set new standards for schools of education. The new standards mandate changes affecting the following: (1) National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) approval for all teacher education programs in the state; (2) general education requirements for education students that are the…

The policy papers included in this package address various facets of the topic of data-based accountability for education in California. Guy Benveniste of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Education explores the underlying issue of accountability and describes the implications of different types of accountability measures. In…

This paper presents the thoughts of a retired teacher about experiences in education--both as student and as teacher. Following descriptions and reactions, it is concluded that the problems of education are most manifest in the public funding of education--especially federal funding--since the institution and continuation of programs is not based…

Although it has been in the lexicon for 20 years, educational accountability remains an untested concept. Traditionally used in public service areas involving the stewardship of public funds, the term loses its legal-financial context when applied to educational settings. Here, accountability is mainly concerned with furthering school systems'…

The evaluation of "institutional effectiveness" is required by many accrediting agencies and mandated by some state legislatures. It was hypothesized that the degree to which institutions have mobilized to meet these new accountability demands is related to the existence of a formal institutional research office. To test this hypothesis,…

Local boards of education have the responsibility and authority for operating local school systems, but in a system of any size authority must be delegated. Unlike factories, schools cannot be run from the top down. The health of the schools is determined directly by and in proportion to the extent that principals and teachers have a voice in…

This textbook presents a conceptual and methodological framework for implementing quality assurance programs in mental health services, with specific emphasis on peer and utilization review. Both the content of the review and the methods of accomplishing it are addressed. The early chapters of the book are designed to show the many types and…

Making a case for the funding of programs for children involves (1) developing a thorough knowledge of the needs of the children addressed; (2) identifying the resources available to meet those needs as well as establishing the processes by which the resources are distributed and identifying the principle actors and institutions controlling those…

This paper describes the organizational structures and practices discovered in several alternative educational settings in various business and government organizations claiming to use a technical control operating model. The educational organizations studied included a criminal justice training center, a color consulting school, a high technology…

This report presents the results of various California community college financial audits and reviews for fiscal year (FY) 1987-88. Section I explains the scope, purpose, and procedures of annual financial audits, which are conducted to evaluate financial statements, encourage sound fiscal management practices, ensure proper use of public funds,…

This pamphlet suggests what to evaluate in a school-business partnership, how to evaluate it, and how to determine whether a partnership has made a difference. The section called "Why Evaluate?" lists six questions to which evaluation frequently yields the answers. The next section explains the purpose of four steps in preparing to evaluate…

This four-part book discusses the relationship between school leadership and evaluation. The discussion centers on evaluation--a crucial component of leadership in the public schools. Part 1 analyzes recent demands for evaluation as a political value and as a destabilizing force. The school district's response to evaluation and the relationship of…

This manual provides information on the accountability reports prepared by Miami-Dade Community College for use on federal, state, and local levels. First, an overview is presented of the purposes of the Placement and Follow-Up (P&F) system, uses of the data, and the tasks involved in P&F reporting. The bulk of the manual explains the following…

This report documents the findings of an evaluation of the effectiveness of the information resources management aspects of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-511) which went into effect on April 1, 1981. (This law was enacted as a result of concerns that the government must improve its collection, use, and dissemination of…

The consequences of the minimum competency testing movement may bring into question the basic assumptions, goals, and expectations of our school system. The intended use of these tests is the assessment of students; the unintended consequence may be the assessment of the school system. There are two ways in which schools may fail in the context of…