The Network for Outcome-Based Schools developed an accreditation process designed to assess the degree to which the outcome-based education (OBE) paradigm is in place in schools or school districts. Three attributes of the process and the importance of OBE and OBE accreditation are discussed. (SM)

Licensing and certification regulations for Intermediate Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded (ICF/MR) can adversely affect individuals, distort the allocation of scarce resources, and encourage community residences to become small institutions. A case study of one home in northern California illustrates poor program evaluation and the need…

As Total Quality Management teams work to improve organizational processes, several types of facilitators emerge: the director, the workhorse, and the cheerleader. Experience at the University of Kansas illustrates how different facilitator styles can affect team learning. (MSE)

Rio Salado Community College (Arizona) uses Total Quality Management tools for four purposes: meeting facilitation; process definition; project selection; and data gathering and analysis. Implementation has helped clarify major issues and depersonalize problems, allowing the continuous improvement team or other group to move forward. (MSE)

Central Connecticut State University's unsuccessful experience with applying the Total Quality Management (TQM) approach to its first-year mailing process illustrates the crucial role that appropriate and thorough training in TQM principles plays in success. Committee membership and processes were also inadequately planned. (MSE)

During a time of administrative reorganization at the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), the efforts of a team preparing to implement the Total Quality Management approach were suspended. Problems encountered included flaws in organizational structure, insufficient communication, hidden agendas, deteriorating relationships, limited…

Discusses the teacher assessment system of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). The article explains the NBPTS policy on assessment and describes the NBPTS assessment model, which includes school site and assessment center modules. The assessment system leads to rigorous standards, national board certification, and…

Describes the Oregon State University library's experience with Total Quality Management (TQM) from initial training and development of two teams to its use as an impartial problem-solving tool which anyone can use. Staff concerns and fears about TQM are discussed, and benefits are explained. (Contains five references.) (EAM)

Outlines the problem-solving team training process used at Harvard University (Massachusetts), including the size and formation of teams, roles, and time commitment. Components of the process are explained, including introduction to Total Quality Management (TQM), customer satisfaction, meeting management, Parker Team Player Survey, interactive…

Explains the need for meaningful performance measures in libraries and the Total Quality Management (TQM) approach to data collection. Five tools representing different stages of a TQM inquiry are covered (i.e., the Shewhart Cycle, flowcharts, cause-and-effect diagrams, Pareto charts, and control charts), and benchmarking is addressed. (Contains…

The system of pharmaceutical education in France is explained including the structure of the doctoral curriculum, internships for specialization, the system of diplomas, classification and certification of a pharmacist, and locus of responsibility for program quality. (MSE)

A study investigated the usefulness of a small-group management process to involve physicians and nurses in analysis of patient mix, practice patterns, and care outcomes and improvement of practice strategies. Eight studies, each on one clinical topic, were undertaken at three hospitals. Significant positive changes were observed in five of them.…

A Pennsylvania State University planner who sat in on an introductory physics course as part of a Total Quality Management/Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) effort reflects on the experience and discusses insights gained about the link between CQI and the quality of undergraduate instruction. (MSE)

Teachers must learn to distinguish among performance assessments of different quality and appropriateness. Design criteria (cognitive complexity, linguistic appropriateness, content quality and coverage, and meaningfulness) are judged by examining assessment tasks and scoring rubrics. Effects criteria (transfer, generalizability, instructional…

Characterizes Subject Review, a new scrutiny process for British higher education, evaluating its effectiveness against the purposes it has set itself in the area of funding policy, enhancement of provision, and public information. The paper offers a case study of factors which come into account when systems for measuring the quality of higher…