The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) believes that randomized field trials hold the same promise for improving education as they have had for medical practices. When research studies in education are designed using an experimental model, they are more likely to result in outcomes that can be attributed to the intervention and not to other…

This paper investigates how one course--a final year undergraduate module--has been developed and implemented to inform students about corporate social responsibility from an accounting perspective. It takes as its core the notion of accounting and accountability, and is delivered by accounting lecturers to business students following a range of…

The role and performance of the engineering and scientific institutions in the UK have been undergoing gradual change in response to external, State and global influences. Consequently, the institutions are having to adapt and in the process of doing so the traditional balance between learned society and qualifying association activities is now in…

This paper considers the role of quality assurance in e-learning; reflecting on the conditions necessary for successful e-learning. It reviews some of the current international work on quality assurance in this area and goes on to consider the ways in which the quality of a process or activity can be assessed--focusing on the use of benchmarking…

This paper presents and critically analyzes data from a project that sought teacher candidates' responses to the process and content of the Ontario Teacher Qualifying Test (OTQT), a mandatory, standardized, pencil and paper initial teacher qualification test. The aim of the project, guided by a critical democratic perspective, was to critically…

Institutional accountability for performance and quality is an evolving topic with immeasurable appeal. Data and sources are abundant, but validated measures and meaningful information are scarce. While pursuing an approach centered on construct validity, this study transforms complex data into useful information. Correlation analysis reveals…

This report is one in a series examining performance measures adopted by the Commission as part of an accountability framework for higher education in California. All measures correspond to one of four goals: (1) Student Preparation for College; (2) Affordability and Access; (3) Student Success in Progressing through College; and (4) Public…

We use dialogic theory to frame our conversation about how we are completing our Ph.D.s, in an attempt to help other students finish their degrees. Dialogic theory allows us to document how we think through the Ph.D. process, critically evaluate our experiences in graduate school, and transcend solely individualistic or structurally oriented…

Web-based learning has been proposed as a convenient way to provide professional development experiences. Despite quantitative evidence that online instruction is equivalent to traditional methods (Russell, 2001), the efficiency of this approach has not been extensively studied among teachers. This case report describes learning in an online…

To frame the larger research agenda requires an intimate blending of knowledge of the situations of foreign research universities and those of public research universities in the United States. The first step was to bring together for a two-day symposium a group of scholars and practitioners, some with deep and varied knowledge of United States…

This 2007 Annual Joint Report of the State Board of Education and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission identifies four joint priorities and nine associated goals addressing areas of need in both student learning and educator development for the advancement of education in Tennessee. The joint priorities and initiatives focus on points of…

Today's school counselors are under increasing pressure to document their effectiveness by using data and producing quantitative accountability reports. This guide from recognized counselor educators and trainers gives preservice and inservice school counselors the tools to identify evidence-based practices in their field and to use data in…

For most of Minnesota's 150 years of statehood, its distinctive economic advantages were largely a function of its natural resources, such as timber, taconite and tourism. Today, while these and other resources remain cornerstones of the state economy, it is clear that the intellectual capacity of Minnesota's people is emerging as a promising…

This paper describes the results of teacher education candidates' use of a Web-based assessment system including electronic portfolios. A teacher education program adopted a novel Web-based Accountability Model for assessment and learning. The Web-based Education Accountability System (EAS) was based on the Web-based Accountability Model, and…

In this article, the author discusses the final report from the Education Secretary's Commission on the Future of Higher Education--officially released on September 19 under the title "A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education." The report has its fair share of advocates and antagonists. But as with the NCLB…