This document represents the first step in an effort by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education to reopen the master planning process. The report: (1) proposes a master planning process, which in various steps will revisit Colorado's goals for postsecondary education; (2) reviews how well the Commission and the postsecondary education…

This bulletin provides descriptions of two of the most widely used business and industry quality models--the British Standards Institution system (BS5750) and Total Quality Management (TQM). The focus is on applications of the models in further education colleges. The first section clarifies what the term "quality" means, in general and…

The implementation of a set of curriculum standards in Scottish public schools has raised some fears among Scottish teachers of English over whether such strict guidelines will impede the use of literary education to foster students' personal growth. Previously, freed from many curricular restrictions by a series of reforms in the 1960s and 1970s,…

On February 3, 1988, the Citizens Commission set forth the Ohio Challenge: Education 2000, an overall plan to move Ohio's public education system into the 21st century. This report reviews the findings of the Ohio Education 2000 Commission and numerous national studies. The members have attempted to define for the citizens of Ohio the specific…

The role of the federal government in assessing and improving postsecondary educational programs are considered in hearings of the United States Senate. Testimony of Secretary of Education William Bennett discusses: the decline in quality of undergraduate education, areas of concern in vocational and professional education, the importance of…

Prepared by a Provost's Task Force on Assessment of Quality and Outcomes of Undergraduate Education, this report reviews the background of the currently burgeoning "assessment" movement and sets forth principles to guide the University of Arizona's efforts to redefine and reassess the quality and outcomes of its undergraduate programs.…

A pilot project in performance funding at Tennessee Tech University is described. The pilot project was part of a statewide "Performance Funding Project" sponsored by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC). The Performance Funding Project was designed to improve the formula appropriations process by determining the feasibility…

The Standards Implementation Design (SID) system is a comprehensive framework for analyzing school performance, planning for improvement based on the analysis, implementing the improvements, and evaluating results. It is designed to engage school personnel in introspection about student achievement as related to curriculum, the teaching and…

The process of accreditation review in the U.S. serves two primary functions: quality assurance and continual improvement. The experienced educators who voluntarily serve on accreditation teams apply common standards of quality that serve students and meet public accountability expectations and offer suggestions and recommendations for…

Standards for Special Education, amended June 2004 requires school boards in Alberta to identify and deliver effective programming for students with special education needs in grades 1-12. It promotes consistent and enhanced quality of educational practice within the province, so that irrespective of location, students with special education needs…

This book offers case studies, observations, and practical, culturally responsive solutions to the challenges presented by diversity in the classroom. By telling stories and asking questions, the book explains that progress is slow-moving and that quality, equity, and fair, appropriate treatment are often very hard to find, even in good schools.…

This paper recommends developing an infrastructure of federal support and federal assessment of student performance to ensure that schoolwide programs in high poverty neighborhoods are able to meet specific legislative goals. It argues for closer links between the federal government and school districts in helping schoolwide programs develop…

This document highlights the National Education 2001 Summit (held in Palisades, Ne York, October 9-10, 2001) in which government, business, and education leaders considered ways to raise standards and achievement in U.S. schools, offering state teaching, testing, and accountability activities, data on progress since 1966, and public supports for…

Argues that quality assurance (QA) initiatives in Australian higher education can be used for a politics of transformation in the interests of women. Examines QA audit processes and one regional university's response to QA initiatives, through which its culture and management style were significantly transformed from an informal, pastoral model to…

Examines major cost-effectiveness proposals, describing developments that highlight concerns over making schools cost effective. The article discusses ways to blend the concerns of educational quality, equity, and costs (district consolidations, shared service and facilities arrangements, new accountability strategies, new information systems,…