The quest continues to standardise quality assurance systems throughout the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) under the auspices of the Bologna Process and led by the European Network for Quality Assurance (ENQA). Mirroring its member organisation in England, the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), ENQA identifies, as one of its core aims, the…

The "State of the States 2016" summarizes state policies for arts education identified in statute or administrative code for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Information is based on a comprehensive search of state education statute and codes on each state's relevant websites. Complete results from this review are available in…

As states begin to revisit or revise their accountability systems to include an additional indicator of school quality or success under the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the Center on Standards and Assessment Implementation (CSAI) has received queries regarding whether and how states are measuring school climate and stakeholder…

Despite the educational advancements as the world becomes more integrated, the problem of disparity in assessment of academic value still lingers with the criteria for validating foreign students' credentials. This can leave these students unable to further their education at different universities or even different departments within the same…

The Louisiana English language arts student standards were created by over one hundred Louisiana educators with input by thousands of parents and teachers from across the state. Educators envisioned what proficient students should know and be able to do to compete in society and focused their efforts on creating standards that would allow them to…

College attendance is a risky investment. But students may not recognize when they are at risk for failure, and financial aid introduces the possibility for moral hazard. Academic performance standards can serve three roles in this context: signaling expectations for success, providing incentives for increased student effort, and limiting…

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 supports states and districts in implementing personalized learning, a student-centered approach designed to help all students develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities that will prepare them for college, a career, and life. Personalized learning emphasizes: (1) developing trusted and caring…

The Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST) is a comprehensive assessment instrument designed to measure students' general astronomy content knowledge. Built upon the research embedded within a generation of astronomy assessments designed to measure single concepts, the TOAST is appropriate to measure across an entire astronomy course. The TOAST's…

This paper examines an assessment process within the context of quality, accountability and institutional effectiveness in academia. Considered as one of the most important elements in higher education, the assessment process plays a significant role in contributing to holistic quality as well as the performance of an academic institution. As a…

The implementation of the Bologna Process (BP) did not go as smoothly as the Bologna Follow-Up evaluations suggest, and the consequences of the BP for the various European higher education systems and universities are much more diverse than represented in these various studies. Relatively few research and policy documents taking a more critical…

Recent U.S. national documents have laid the foundation for highlighting the connection between science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the K-12 level. However, there is not a clear definition or a well-established tradition of what constitutes a quality engineering education at the K-12 level. The purpose of the current work has been…

STEM Studio at Hofstra University is a clinical practice site that brings together public school pupils and preservice teachers in settings with three features that lead to enhanced learning of all participants: classroom structures using multidisciplinary STEM tasks as platforms for learning; design challenge templates for diverse student…

Two significant metaphors in the education discourse describing student and teacher roles in academic achievement are Student-as-Product, and Student-as-Consumer. These fail to take into account the importance of students' active engagement in their own learning. Current policy initiatives around education reform reflect these deficits as well.…

This paper will provide an overview of the history of the inclusion of technology in Australian education with a focus on music education. There will be a discussion of some of the arguments for its inclusion and how these may have changed over time. Technology has always been actively present in music and its practice. However, it was through…

Suffering from chronic underfunding and in a headlong race to compete with for-profit higher education, institutions across America are struggling to maintain their operations, and some are forced into desperate measures just to survive. Administrators and faculty faced with these challenges are not immune to compromising the quality of…