There is plentiful discussion about the importance of accountability, but much needs to be done to translate it into a manageable and credible system of ongoing feedback. In this book, evaluative inquiry is used in a way that balances attention between the investigation process and its purpose. The book is divided into three parts. Following an…

Academic program approval and review in postsecondary institutions and in state systems are discussed, based on a 1979 survey of postsecondary institutions. Based on responses from 68 percent of 1,082 institutions, it was found that formal program-approval procedures are increasingly utilized (in their order of frequency) in independent four-year…

In this book, which applies the state of the art in qualitative research to special education, qualitative research is used as a generic term for investigative methodologies described variously as ethnographic, naturalistic, anthropological, field research, or participant-observer research. Chapter 1 introduces and defines qualitative research and…