In May, President Obama stated the need for every American to have at least one year of postsecondary education. That sentiment echoes the Nellie Mae Education Foundation's 2008 report, "What It Takes to Succeed in the 21st Century--and How New Englanders Are Faring." The report cites a growing consensus that reveals the minimum…

In New Zealand the polytechnic sector embraces a range of post-compulsory education fields. Fields as diverse as nursing, business, social work and English as a Second Language (ESL) may co-exist on polytechnic campuses and are subject to similar curriculum documentation processes. The common competency-based framework and discourse of such…

It is argued that leaders within higher education should examine the culture of their own institutions and academic disciplines in order to respond effectively to faculty who are at the margins. Ultimately, creating a culture of respect will lead to positive change. Yet is this a realistic goal in times of budget constraints, increasing demands…

The past 25 years have witnessed an ebb and flow of the accountability movement in the United States as national interest in and concern about the quality and effectiveness of higher education have moved in and out of the forefront of public consciousness. Today Democrats and Republicans alike are critical of higher education and calling for…

Resolution 13.04, "A Document in Support of an Academic Culture," adopted at the Fall 2007 plenary session, asked the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (Academic Senate) to "create a document that sets out the basic elements of a higher education institution, particularly within California's community college…

This report is the support document to "Tracking Our Success: How TAFE Institutes Measure Their Effectiveness and Efficiency". It comprises reports on each of the nine technical and further education (TAFE) institutes that have taken part in the study. Information was collected via in-depth interviews with chief executive officers and…

The work of teacher candidates matters in particular ways to the quality of children's experiences and environments when they teach in preschools. We conducted a mixed-method study with survey, interviews, focus groups, and photographic documentation of classroom spaces, and theorized findings through Bahktin's dialogism and the notion of figured…

Purpose: In the USA, as elsewhere, there is an ongoing need to improve quality in higher education. Quality improvement models from business have not been widely embraced, and many other approaches to accountability seem to induce minimal compliance. This paper aims to contend that learning communities represent a viable alternative in the quest…

This report updates the status of bills that the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) is tracking. It has positions as adopted by the Commission at its June 14, 2011 and earlier meetings. A matrix of bills tracked by CPEC staff is included.

Accreditation and accountability recently have been prominent in national conversations about the preparation of teachers. Members of our profession have developed standards to which we will hold ourselves as we prepare foreign language and world language (F/WL) teachers for the 21st century. As a participating Specialized Professional Association…

Public higher education has faced a crisis of massive proportions in the first decade of this millennium. Nevertheless, for higher education, this year represents a turning point and, yes, an opportunity. The opportunity, then, for the West is one that generations of Americans are familiar with: to do more with less. Dealing with scarcity--whether…

Portland Community College has a firmly rooted career and technical education (CTE) partnership with its service area high schools. However, the partnership was continuing to operate as it had for many years. Given the rapid pace of change in the region's workforce, Oregon's secondary and postsecondary educational initiatives, and a shared…

The Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education emphasizes accountability in higher education as one of the key areas of interest. The Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA) was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of general public college education. This study examines how student progress in college, indicated by…

The use of evaluation to examine and improve the quality of teaching and courses is now a component of most universities. However, despite the various methods and opportunities for evaluation, a lack of understanding of the processes, measures and value are some of the major impediments to effective evaluation. Evaluation requires an understanding…

The National Commission on Adult Literacy proposes creating a new Adult Education and Workforce Skills System with the capacity to effectively serve 20 million adults annually by the year 2020. The primary mission of this new System will be to move out-of-school adults to readiness for postsecondary education and job training and enable their…