This plan describes goals and processes implemented as of 1994 in the Florida Community College System to provide for systematic improvement and the assessment of quality and efficiency in the college system. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to and history of the accountability movement in Florida. Chapter II discusses the accountability…

This annual performance report on Arizona adult education begins with 3 pages of financial reports and statistical information presented in 9 tables and 19 charts. Tables and charts depict the following: participants by class type, age group, ethnic background, student progress, reason for separation before completion, and status; sites with…

This paper clarifies the problems of meaning and translation into practice of concepts of "quality" in higher education by examining a quality improvement program at Griffith University (Queensland, Australia). The paper notes that Australian government agencies have advanced a quality assurance (QA) approach concerned with the…

The view that values play a crucial role in how principals conceptualise and interpret school leadership is not new. However, very little of the research underpinning this view has been conducted in developing countries. Drawing on qualitative case study research into how principals in Jamaica conceptualise school leadership, this paper explores…

This book gives an account of the present use and status of performance indicators in British higher education, set against the developing literature and experience of performance indicators in the United States and other countries. The book provides a critical survey of the range of devices being proposed but also points to possible patterns or…

Nine papers and associated remarks constituting the proceedings of the 1988 Norstar Conference concerning the assessment of performance in higher education, and two prefatory papers are presented. The prefatory papers are: (1) "A Context for Change: The Reform Movement in Higher Education" (Judith M. Holtan); and (2) "Models of…

Higher education evaluation practices in seven states were assessed. Consolidated governing boards were present in Florida, Idaho, and West Virginia, while coordinating boards were present in Alabama, Colorado, and South Carolina. Washington State had an advisory board. For each state, a background paper on the state system was prepared by a…

In order to improve desegregation of the elementary schools, and the low achievement level of elementary schools with high concentrations of poor and minority students, the Massachusetts Board of Education placed a coordinated approach to improving urban schools first among its objectives. The following educational objectives were set for each…

Four of the policy statements for vocational education developed by the Wisconsin Board of Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education reflect concerns shared in the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education. First, vocational education is accountable to the publics, namely students, employers, and state, local, and…

The purpose of the California High School Performance Reports is to provide a means for the public to judge a school's progress towards: (1) implementing the educational reforms outlined in California State Legislature Senate Bill 813; (2) upgrading the quality of its instructional program; and (3) improving student achievement. This paper…

The historical development of coordinating and governing boards in higher education, the structures and powers of these boards, concerns common to the different states, and current issues are considered. The major period of acceleration in the development of state higher education agencies and boards occurred during 1960 to 1975, the most rapid…

Based on the theory that higher education in America has been on the decline since 1953, the decadence and hopes for renewal in higher learning are examined. The following afflictions are cited as cause for the decline: (1) a purposelessness or loss of the objects of wisdom and virtue; (2) intellectual disorder: all integration and order of…

This paper explores how the idea of community control came about, what the concept is, and some implications it might have for communication practices in school systems. Social and political conditions which led to the idea of community control of education are reviewed. Particular attention is given to the dissatisfaction of minority groups and…

This monograph is directed toward policy makers, parents, students, educational leaders, teachers, taxpayers and society as a whole, aiming at their involvement and the attainment of excellence in education. People living in a rapidly changing society have many expectations for education, among which are the teaching of moral and ethical values,…

Explores the relationship between mandates for educational excellence and more rigorous standards and the community college's role in providing access to educational opportunity for all students. Underscores the difference between accountability-based assessment and compliance-based testing. (DMM)