Accountability of higher education institutions is discussed in the context of recent criticism of the institutional accreditation system. It is suggested that institutions reevaluate their responsibilities and reaffirm appropriate core values; however, application of those values will be influenced by the principal clients: students, employers,…

This article presents several rationales for improved recordkeeping and contracting between speech-language therapists and parents or students. Contracting, therapy, and recording are conceptualized as inseparable, interrelated components of a holistic approach to student improvement. Employers, funding bodies, and accrediting bodies need to…

Describes the Machine Readable Cataloging Format (MARC) and discusses the issue of accountability for maintaining cataloging standards. Groups that influence the use of MARC records are then examined, including the Library of Congress; publishers; vendors of cataloging services, including bibliographic utilities; professional agencies; district…

Based on a study of five major school systems, concludes following about site-based management: it is a reform of entire system; it will lead to real changes only if it is basic reform strategy; it will evolve over time and develop distinctive characters, goals, operating styles; it requires rethinking of accountability; parental choice is…

Compulsory education may be counterproductive for many students. Most children enter school curious/confident/enthusiastic. Successful students exit bored/obedient/passive by simply "getting through," and others perform poorly because of environmental/societal factors. Also, the current emphasis on formalized accountability methods distorts…

Contrasts the limitations of educational privatization with the possibilities for parental governance of public school districts and individual schools. Argues that parental input would more effectively implement reform than has educational professionalism alone. Cites agreement between Boston University and the city of Chelsea, Massachusetts, to…

School administrators' failure to take action against teacher incompetence results in decreased student achievement, low teacher morale, diminished confidence in schools, teacher and administrator liability, and increased litigation. To break the cycle of "inarticulitis" (nonstraightforward communication about marginal performance), a new paradigm…

This paper examines various ways in which states, colleges, and universities are balancing tensions between demands for greater institutional autonomy and demands for greater accountability to state legislatures. Noted are the states' varying fiscal situations, mixed messages on autonomy given by state governments to institutions, and increasing…

Describes how Prince George's Community College developed an institutional research-based approach to accountability reporting in response to Maryland's statewide accountability requirements. Offers specific examples of the application of institutional research data to the development of accountability plan objectives. Identifies several issues…

The successful partnership between a public university and its foundation is based on trust, effective service, and accountability. Structures may vary, but all institutional foundations should share standards and serve the institution's philanthropic concerns without conflict of interest. Operating guidelines of South Carolina's Clemson…

Whereas private institutions are chiefly accountable to the narrow, limited constituencies supporting them, public institutions are typically accountable to more general constituencies that are diverse, broad, and conflicted. This essay reviews two recent books by British authors that discuss the two "ideal" accountability models and…

This commentary responds to several issues raised in a critique of a paper on cooperative professional development. Issues include facilitation of knowledge exchange between special and general education teachers, potential politicization and competitiveness in cooperative professional development teams, and accountability of cooperative…

Compares the more positive library automation experiences of a small public library with those of a large research library. Topics addressed include collection size; computer size and the need for outside control of a data processing center; staff size; selection process for hardware and software; and accountability. (LRW)

Local system for public school governance has changed little since early twentieth century, when conception of school boards as trusteeships and superintendents as chief managers changed school-operating boards into policy boards. Since the late 1960s, local boards have reverted to politicized boards, increasingly involved in district…

Assumptions and theories underlying grants peer review as a way to select research proposals for funding and its usefulness as an evaluation methodology are explored. Issues arising from the operation of peer-based systems at the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health are examined. (SLD)