The role of the federal government in assessing and improving postsecondary educational programs are considered in hearings of the United States Senate. Testimony of Secretary of Education William Bennett discusses: the decline in quality of undergraduate education, areas of concern in vocational and professional education, the importance of…

Prepared by a Provost's Task Force on Assessment of Quality and Outcomes of Undergraduate Education, this report reviews the background of the currently burgeoning "assessment" movement and sets forth principles to guide the University of Arizona's efforts to redefine and reassess the quality and outcomes of its undergraduate programs.…

A cost effectiveness study by the Austin (Texas) Independent School District of its elementary compensatory reading programs, namely, the Chapter 1 Reading Improvement Program (Chapter 1 Regular) and Schoolwide Projects (SWP), found that the Schoolwide Projects cost two to three times as much to achieve the same gains in student achievement as did…

In response to a legislative imperative that all public higher education institutions in Virginia develop and implement a program to measure student learning and to use the results of evaluations for the improvement of instruction and the curriculum, the Virginia community colleges have either initiated or completed a number of student assessment…

The future of New Mexico, which has a unique diverse minority population (Hispanics, Blacks, and Native Americans), is linked with how well the educational systems serve the special needs of these groups. However, these groups are the least educationally prepared to function meaningfully in and to contribute to both the contemporary society and…

Changes in the coordinating activities of the Australian Universities Commission (AUC) between 1959 and 1970 are discussed, along with events leading to the creation of the Australian Research Grants Committee and the Academic Salaries Tribunal. In addition to reviewing relevant literature and official documents, interviews were conducted with…

This report on a preventive law institute held in Texas in 1981 includes an introduction, three papers, a summary of discussions, and a concluding statement. In the introduction Christiane Hyde Citron defines preventive law as decision making that takes constitutional and case law into consideration and that includes four basic steps: (1)…

This guide is intended to assist planners of job training programs in understanding the connections between the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act and the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) and coordinating programs that receive funds under either or both of the acts. The first section presents overviews of both acts and a chart comparing…

The trend toward greater state regulation of public higher education is discussed, along with alternative structures or models for state financing of public institutions. The situation in Washington State is briefly described as an illustration. It is proposed that interests of the state, college, and student can be enhanced by allowing colleges…

Parameters and procedures for developing an error-prone model (EPM) to predict financial aid applicants who are likely to misreport on Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (BEOG) applications are introduced. Specifications to adapt these general parameters to secondary data analysis of the Validation, Edits, and Applications Processing Systems…

Rural education trends in the 1980s--influenced by decreased federal, state, and local funding and demands for higher academic standards and greater accountability--will have a significant impact on staff development in small and rural schools. Along with ebbing support for compensatory education and increased focus on math and science…

This document provides measurement devices to help meet the needs of student learners for feedback on teaching behavior and the requirements of supervising teachers for information about student performance. (The term "student learners" as used here refers to high school students being trained in a laboratory program.) A master's project essay,…

Vermont's Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education was appointed in the summer of 1973 to consider major issues involving Vermont's postsecondary education programs. This report addresses the major problems in statewide coordination. Internally, fragmented planning and policy implementation are considered, and externally, multiple voices and…

The characteristics of California's Student Aid Commission grant program applicants and recipients were examined to assess the extent to which aid programs meet state goals. Attention is directed to major problems confronting the three Cal Grant programs and a range of possible policy and program options. The three programs are: Cal Grant A State…

This report shows fiscal year (FY) 1983 actual achievements in relation to goals, objectives, and proposed utilization of funds, as contained in the "FY 1983 South Carolina State Plan for Vocational-Technical Education." An introduction is followed by an overview of vocational-technical education in South Carolina. Section III presents…