Examines the relationship between special educational needs and resource levels, drawing on two local education authorities as case studies. One LEA uses a professional-audit approach to allocate resources; the other uses educational tests. A critical examination disclosed benefits and drawbacks for each accountability system. (Contains 18…

Beginning September 1999, the School Standards and Framework Act (1998) requires all maintained schools and city technology colleges in England and Wales to have a written home-school agreement and associated parental declaration. This article places this mandate within a historical context and highlights enforceability and defined…

This paper considers the professional responsibility of schools in England to provide effective induction practices in the context of a central government mandated policy. It looks at individual schools as "habitats" for induction and the role of school leaders and LEAs as facilitators or inhibitors. Notions of professional…

Examines interconnections between accountability, power, and control within the British education system, focusing on the 5-18 education. Although some of the structures and processes are very similar to those of the U.S. K-12 system, the British national system is highly centralized and highly market-driven, with a strong emphasis on parental…

This paper describes, in the context of one highly circumscribed element of English educational policy, namely, "Threshold assessment," the ways in which the boundaries between the public and the private have become increasingly porous and blurred. In this context, some consequences and implications of private sector involvement in…

The current preoccupation in the United States with test-based accountability is founded on a set of faulty assumptions--about education practices elsewhere in the world, about international test score comparisons, and about the extent to which test scores are valid indicators of the quality of education or the state of the economy. For example,…

New heads taking up their appointments in English schools in recent years have had supportive programmes to help them, both prior to headship and on taking up the role. This study examines the experience of heads new to their role in primary and secondary schools over the period 2002-2004. All were participants in the National College for School…

Headteachers in England, Scotland, and Denmark must respond to wide-ranging and often conflicting external demands. Simultaneously, they must develop strategies to enhance their staffs' skills and improve pupil performance. This paper examines the background of a collaborative research project on school leadership in the three countries;…

The proceedings of this institute, focusing on the opportunities and implications of accountability in community college education, include the eight papers presented as well as the speeches of the four keynote speakers. Several themes and ideas about accountability recur in the papers including the basic questions of "accountability to…

This discussion of Pimlico School's self-assessment procedures focuses on methods used for reconciling student grades from mixed-ability and from ability-grouped classes into a valid picture of individual and schoolwide attainment. (SJL)

To gain perspective on current demands for accountability in England's schools, particularly the Assessment of Performance Unit (APU) proposals, the author looks at the history of school assessment procedures in England, noting that they've long played a dominant role in determining what is taught and how it is taught. (Author/SJL)

Interviews with primary headteachers in three local education authorities in the Midlands, England, disclosed heads' overall satisfaction with a new government-mandated appraisal process. Although appraisal reports are available by law to chairpersons of governing bodies, such feedback tended to be perfunctory in many cases. Headteacher appraisal…

Presents a socio-historical analysis of teacher education in England tracing the changing agents and nature of control of the enterprise since its inception. Illustrates the evolution from church through university, to state control, and the limited role of the teaching and teacher education professions in each. Includes references. (CMK)

Examines the current national policy situation regarding quality assurance in the United Kingdom, as revealed through the work of the Audit Commission and the local education authorities' early responses to that work. Describes current quality assurance practices in Barset as perceived by various authority respondents, comparing it to Dorset's…

Explains the role and functions of England's Audit Commission, established in 1983 to promote proper stewardship of public finances and help public servants achieve economy, efficiency, and effectiveness. The commission's influence stems from its ability to link with other government initiatives, use of rigorous investigative methodology, and a…