Analyzes the changing nature of accountability in Australian and English higher education within the context of global knowledge-based economic principles. Finds similarities in accountability policy objectives and discourse, but differences in structures and processes. Discusses three themes that emerge from analysis: Complexity of changing power…

Describes key objectives of government policy in higher education in the United Kingdom over the last 20 years, including efficiency and accountability, expansion of student numbers, selectivity in research funding, regionalization, widening participation, wealth creation, and measures used to implement these policies. (SLD)

Evaluations, tied to specific programmes, need to be complemented by research that is more sensitive to context at the classroom level. A comparative approach may be used as a platform to move into a two-way conversation with the perspectives of practitioners in 'developing' countries and hence scrutinize internationally dominant notions of good…

There is a growing recognition that teachers' learning, and effective policies and structures to support it, should be at the heart of government polices to improve standards in education (Day, 1999). In England, the continuing professional development (CPD) landscape for teachers is changing; and professional development in physical education…

Most states have experimented with performance accountability as a way to drive improvement in public higher education institutions and systems. However, efforts to implement performance funding in the United States have yielded mixed results. This policy brief describes the reforms that dramatically changed the policy landscape in England and…

Recent changes in the regulation of education systems in Europe and beyond have led to greater control over the work of teachers and the performance of schools. The paper draws upon the findings of a programme of funded comparative research, which has examined the impact of national education policy and policy change on teachers' work and…

Attempts to define the concept of children's special needs and to appraise these within educational contexts. Identified areas of need and concern are linked with the scope and boundaries of parental involvement in assessment, intervention, and educational programing. (RH)

The editorial, "Some Aspects of the Educational Change Dynamic: Setting School Autonomy and Evaluation in Context" (Cecilia Braslavsky), explains the focus of this issue. This "Open File: School Autonomy and Evaluation" section contains: "Introduction to the Open File" (Norberto Bottani; Bernard Favre); "IPES The…

The author collected the views of 124 classroom teachers in Northwest England on national achievement testing, such as proposed by the APU, and its potential impact on classroom practice and faculty development. The majority opposed national testing, particularly norm-referenced testing, expressing concern about use of scores in teacher…

Presents an overview of the English educational system as experienced by an American teaching at a two-year technical college in England, focusing on the role of the technical college and its faculty, academic standards, and accountability. (MB)

Reviews ways in which performance data are currently used within the England and Wales education systems. Uses research evidence to critique many of these uses. Presents some alternative proposals for a more rational approach. (BT)

Critiques a paper that presented a study of accreditation for providers of teacher education in the United States and discusses what went wrong when the NCATE came to Brigham Young University. This response asserts that for English readers, the value of the original paper is in the way it helps illustrate the difficulties of establishing robust…

Analyzes the impact of the new statutory head-teacher performance-management scheme in a sample of Kent's secondary schools. Forty-three replies were completed and returned, representing an 83 percent response rate. Most respondents regarded the scheme as a force for good. (Contains 1 table, 4 figures, and 79 references.) (MLF)

Renewed calls for greater accountability within schools have led to a rapid expansion of standards-based reforms across the Western world. Establishing and raising standards, and measuring the attainment of those standards, are intended to encourage excellence in our schools. Yet concern is increasing about the fairness of external testing and the…

This article revisits the important issue raised by Peter Tymms where he challenges the official government reports of an impressive rise in standards in mathematics and English in primary schools in England since 1995, suggesting that the rise in scores, particularly since 2000, does not indicate rising standards. In order to substantiate its…