This report comprises edited versions of the presentations from the 17 participants in a conference under the sponsoreship of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. The conference was designed to enable policy-makers, educators, and business people to share perspectives on the most effective methods for identifying and collecting data that…

When a variety of groups became concerned with a perceived deficiency in public education in the 1970's, critical attention was successively focused on student accountability, the school curriculum, and teachers. This digest briefly reports on teacher competency testing. The 1980 Gallup Poll showed that 85% of citizens polled said teachers should…

Creative actions toward preventing global unemployment seek to (1) uncover the painful realities of joblessness, (2) design better models for fruitful discourse and action, (3) climb the "commanding policy heights" of moral vision, (4) move from autocratic to democratic corporatism, (5) uncover the kind of information that may hold power…

Issues pertaining to the teaching function of higher education are considered in four papers from the sixth seminar of the Leverhulme Programme of the Study into the Future of Higher Education. In "Teachers and Staffing," Norman Lindop, Neil Merritt, Brian Gowenlock, and David Warren Piper review the varied contexts and conditions of the…

Previous analyses of higher education policy in Sweden are addressed to examine the nature of the major tradeoffs between values. In addition, a set of value categories relevant to higher education policy in general is suggested. Values identified as particularly relevant to the analysis of higher education policy are equality, excellence,…

Findings of a 1973 study by the University of Arizona College of Medicine Admissions Review Committee (established by the Arizona Legislature) are summarized in an excerpt from a 1972 report and in a letter and memo. The committee reviewed the admission policies and practices of the College of Medicine for 2 years by a random study of 50 percent…

This issue of the quarterly newsletter of the Institute for Research on Educational Finance and Governance contains five articles summarizing five papers on the regulation of education that were originally presented at the institute's Law and Education Seminar. Each summary was written by the author of the original paper. David Kirp's article…

The role of test scores used as a district monitoring device by boards of education is discussed. It is suggested that board members insist on inservice education to become knowledgeable in using test scores as curriculum feedback, to understand what is being tested, and to understand test results. Concepts to be covered include: (1) meaning of…

In view of the dramatic increase in the numbers of laws and lawsuits since the 1960s, teachers must become aware of the privacy considerations and potential legal problems that may arise when writing a letter of recommendation or giving a verbal reference. They should become familiar with present common law doctrine and recent legislation…

Objectives and findings of the Basic Grant Validation Study, which investigated the validity of information provided by applicants to the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (BEOG) program, are described. Implications of the findings for financial aid application validation are also discussed. Seven separate studies were conducted in order to:…

Intended for teachers of reading on the two-year college level, this journal discusses research on the effects of assignments on recognition memory and research on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test as a predictor of college grades in English and psychology. Articles also deal with methods for teaching developmental reading, a program for training and…

The first survey of states regarding performance-based teacher certification was conducted in 1972, and a second survey was conducted in 1974. This 1976 report is a follow-up study of the previous surveys. The information provided in this report was obtained by requesting a description of activities directly from each state department of…

The Maryland Alternative Accountability Pilot Project is described and analyzed. First, the conceptual framework on which the project was based is presented. This includes the background and circumstances that provided the impetus, project goals, resource allocation, and project management. Each of the following phases is then briefly discussed:…

Based on the premises that there is a legitimate federal role in education, that federal education programs need to be simplified, that federal aid must pass through states to the local school districts, and that state and local agencies should be accountable for using federal resources, this paper offers specifications to suggest ways to…

The paper reports on a court case in which the public school system was sighted in violation of the decree in Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia and which resulted in the development of the Child Study Center which provides assessments, identification, and placement of handicapped students by an interdisciplinary team. Among…