Rather than establish a national test, we should examine what other industrialized nations require of their children. Persistence and creativity are not easily tested, and results are bound to be oversimplified. Developing basic American education standards is appropriate only if every public school is equipped with adequate resources. (MLH)

Discusses the relationship between educational quality at Catholic schools and educational costs, and between consistency and effective schools. Describes steps to determine just teacher salaries/benefits, to elicit the support of the community, and to move to decisive action. (PAA)

School districts are being asked to provide expanded variety and quality of educational services with fewer tax dollars. Discusses the search for accountability, productivity, quality, and equity in education and alerts school business officials to the problems and conflicts inherent in such a search. (MLF)

Principals who understand the formative, planning, implementation, and evaluation dimensions of instructional leadership can affect the educational quality of a school. Required is transformational leadership: the ability to understand a changing environment and energize the institution to achieve new goals and to utilize new procedures. (SI)

Strategies used by Griffith University (Australia) to control quality, in response to increasing external pressure for accountability, are outlined. The central strategy involves devolving responsibility to faculties and schools, who must develop plans for quality control within their own academic cultures. Barriers to implementation, including…

This discussion of Australian student transfer into technical and further education institutions from previous institutions of higher education looks at the nature of this migration and the implications of reciprocity between sectors. Better provision of information to students, articulation for credit transfer, and research on student migration…

A discussion of the Australian Vice Chancellors' Committee (AVCC) code of ethics concerning provision of educational services to foreign students at Australian institutions of higher education looks at what defines educational quality, minimum standards of provision, and measures of excellence in provision. (MSE)

A survey of 300 institutions of higher education found 9 factors associated with alumni giving participation rates. These included library volumes per student; average Scholastic Aptitude Test scores of entering first-year college students; percentage of faculty with doctorates; educational and general budget expenditures per student; endowment…

Challenges facing higher education in the United States in a period of increased interest in assessing the quality of education are discussed. In particular, the role of senior administrators and the role of shared (faculty/staff/administration) governance in this context are examined. (MSE)

The idea that different meanings of "quality" in higher education (meritocratic, social, and individualistic) may influence the assessments of college presidents of their institutions is explored. These three dimensions are combined in a model that allows a more complex view of institutional quality. (MSE)

Although distance educators have embraced technologies that have significantly improved instruction, in part because of an interdisciplinary or team approach to instruction and use of mixed media, on-campus educators have largely ignored that technological potential. Institutional leaders are encouraged to create an environment that supports…

The extent to which current concern with teaching quality in British universities will enhance serious pedagogical development is examined. Recent government initiatives for faculty development from the Department of Employment are seen as useful but not a replacement for rigorous intellectual training, and improved incentives and funding. (MSE)

In response to changing government philosophy concerning higher education, including increased institutional autonomy alongside greater pressure for accountability and internal renewal, Dutch universities have developed a system for external quality assessment under the aegis of the Association of Dutch Universities. Its evolution and results to…

The capacity of the Australian university system is being steadily undermined by government policies, which erode infrastructure, destroy faculty career opportunities, and threaten commitment to teaching and research. Acceptance of current policies amounts to collaboration in the erosion of the universities. Those committed to educational quality…

Until governing boards take a more proactive stance regarding their institution's general education program, critics are likely to continue to question the quality of American higher education. Because of campus politics, it can be difficult for administrators to lead a movement toward curricular change without persistent board support.…