Systems to periodically evaluate the performance of K-12 schools are, broadly speaking, of two kinds: "inspection," the paradigm of England's OFSTED (Office for Standards in Education); and "accreditation," originally developed nearly a century ago by what are now the U.S. regional accreditation agencies. In the past decade…

In this article, the author discusses five common strategies for making online high school programs effective in one's school district. These are: (1) Prepare students for success; (2) Prepare teachers for success; (3) Use interactive, flexible course designs; (4) Monitor and support teachers; and (5) Monitor and support students. Despite their…

The Council of the Great City Schools has prepared this seventh edition of "Beating the Odds" to give the nation another look at how inner-city schools are performing on the academic goals and standards set by the states. This analysis examines student achievement in math and reading through spring 2006. It also measures achievement gaps…

In the United States and Mexico, public schooling, as a government institution, has attempted to reinforce cultural and national values explicitly through civics lessons and implicitly through attitudes and classroom management. This study shows how schools on each side of the U.S.-Mexico border attempt to teach distinct national and cultural…

The West German debate over state-controlled higher education planning versus market-oriented competition is examined in the context of recent West German educational history, actions taken by the federal government and science council, institutional reactions, and research on the use of performance indicators. (MSE)

Trustees often confess to confusion about the responsibility of the governing board for the academic programs and policies of higher education institutions. During the 20th century, the teaching and research missions of American colleges and universities progressively became the special domain of the faculty. As academic disciplines became…

In the few short years since its passage in 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has become the focus of many in education, from state superintendents to researchers to teachers. In this Issues in Education we seek to give the reader a basic introduction to the way in which NCLB and its main measure of success, Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP),…

Suggesting that, like the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in the United States, Britain's Assessment of Performance Unit is likely to evoke opposition, the author proposes a teacher-based assessment system as an alternative. (SJL) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document: Procedures (Evaluation).

Undergraduate study programs in the United States, Great Britain, and Europe are compared. Assessment strategies are offered for use in addressing demands for evidence of accountability and concerns about quality facing Western universities. These countries should jointly study the peer review process as an assessment tool. (TJH)

Whereas private institutions are chiefly accountable to the narrow, limited constituencies supporting them, public institutions are typically accountable to more general constituencies that are diverse, broad, and conflicted. This essay reviews two recent books by British authors that discuss the two "ideal" accountability models and…

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, has become a symbol of all things good and bad in education. While the basic concepts of the legislation--accountability for results, research-based education programs, increased parental options, and expanded local control and…

It is suggested that the American system of formal education be included in discussions of problems of productivity, both as a contributor to the problem, and as an instrument to be used in seeking solutions to the problem. Career education, in particular, is viewed as being capable of making contributions toward increasing productivity. Two basic…

A model of quality assessment for higher education that incorporates both accountability (representing extrinsic values) and peer-review/collegiality (reflecting intrinsic values) is outlined. It is presented in both a historical context and the context of experiences with quality assessment in North America and Western Europe. (Author/MSE)

Current successes and failures in U.S. educational measurement are reviewed, focusing on criterion-referenced testing. Pluses and minuses are listed for the following: (1) the move toward authentic assessment; (2) the dominance of criterion-referenced assessment; and (3) item response theory applications. Each area is a double-edged sword. (SLD)

The leading school reform policy in the United States revolves around strong accountability of schools with consequences for performance. The federal government's involvement through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 reinforces the prior movement of many states toward policies based on measured student achievement. Analysis of state achievement…