Examines ways of improving school cleaning costs and quality by adhering to 15 specific principles. Principles discussed include the use of employee training, accountability, quality equipment and supplies, assignment scheduling, written self audits, computerized management, and industry involvement. (GR)

Describes a teaching model that applies management tools such as delegation, total quality management, time management, teamwork, and Deming rules. Promotes the advantages of efficiency, reporting, independent scheduling, and quality. (SK)

Argues that there is little rationale behind current methods of assessing higher-education quality because there is little exploration of what constitutes quality. Despite good intentions, quality monitoring has become overly bureaucratic, and potential for significant change is hampered by an inappropriate focus on accountability, not on…

Describes a benchmarking project developed at Queensland University of Technology (Australia) to compare the design and delivery of the Graduate Certificate in Education (Higher Education) against national and international institutions. Discusses use of the benchmarking process for quality improvement. (LRW)

Offers ideas for locating a roof leak. Discusses why many leaks originate in the roof's base flashings and the importance of knowing the roof's material makeup. Advocates keeping a roof-leak history and gives advice on performing inspections to check for leaks. Discusses how to find small holes in roofs. (RJM)

A significant correlation exists between quality child care and outcomes. Quality-related outcomes include cooperative play, sociability, creativity, ability to solve social conflicts, self-control, and language and cognitive development. Legislatures and agencies should strengthen standards; require initial and ongoing staff training; recruit,…

Student transportation complexities make evaluating a program's cost and quality very difficult. The first step in measuring performance is defining an operation's functional components: level of service delivery, units of service, and cost of services. Other considerations include routing, logistics, and fleet maintenance and support operations.…

Asserts that accountability in charter schools is largely a political issue and not a technical, instrumental question as the rhetoric suggests. Drawing on Texas student performance data and interviews with key state policymakers, the paper concludes that viewing accountability in charter schools as a technical issue ignores the larger political…

Report of a review panel which evaluated the effectiveness of the New Zealand Academic Audit Unit concluded that procedures requiring universities to undertake a self-review with the Academic Audit Unit validating the process have been a major stimulus for introduction of effective quality systems within a climate of trust and mutual respect.…

Reviews the history of the "International Social Science Journal," formerly the "International Social Science Bulletin," as on its 50th year. Focuses on the editorial history, quality control, multilingual production, the various types of authors, the language and style of the material, evolution of themes, and discussion of…

Studied the effects of national and institutional quality management systems on higher education institutions in 14 countries by drawing on 29 cases studies. Developed a conceptual model of the relationships between quality management and institutional change. Emphasizes the importance of power and values in the establishment of quality…

Reviews quality assurance and quality control procedures of the main requirements affecting United Kingdom medicine, pharmacy, law, accountancy, architecture, and structural engineering. Provides a taxonomy of different forms of quality maintenance and offers comparative material which may be of interest and relevance to academic readers. (EV)

Reviews the literature on developments in quality assurance in European higher education over the last decade. Applies the metaphor of sub-atomic structure to order the literature, moving from publications closely related to the practice of quality assurance methods to more theoretical publications. Identifies some seminal publications as…

Reviews a variety of distance learning programs, including the British Open University; Nova University; University of Maine (Orono); Public Facilities Telecommunications Program; National Technological University; Star Schools; museums; Jones International University; Public Broadcasting System; University of Phoenix; Western Governors…

The battle-lines are drawn up in the various struggles for control of supranational external quality monitoring (accreditation and evaluation). The different types of supranational quality processes are outlined (as they existed at the time of the presentation of the paper to the Conference). The question asked is: who benefits from the extension…