Information concerning accreditation in higher education--a process of quality control and evaluation of institutional program development, effectiveness, and improvement that is based on established criteria and standards--is presented. Thirty-three questions and answers on accreditation are provided to clarify many concerns regarding the status…

Perspectives on an American Institutes for Research (AIR) study of state oversight in postsecondary education, conducted for the U.S. Office of Education (USOE), are offered by researcher Steven M. Jung. In addition, a list of recommendations by the General Accounting Office concerning USOE's eligibility process and responses by John Proffitt, on…

Issues concerning review processes used to select research to be performed in universities and sunported by the federal government are discussed. Recommendations regarding review processes, with special emphasis on the peer review system, are offered. It is proposed that review processes serve government and researchers' purposes of assuring that…

Until now, the economic analysis of education has not contributed effectively to policy formation because it has failed to answer (1) the question of who benefits from education, and (2) the concomitant question of the best way to finance education, particularly postsecondary education. The reasons for this failure have been the lack of consensus…

The document is an abridged version of a total report on three training institutes for curriculum personnel development for the integration of innovative concepts and new developments, specifically in the area of Career Education. This volume is composed of extracts from resource individuals' presentations to one or more of the institutes. The…

The volume consists of all of the major presentations at three institutes for curriculum personnel development held to serve participants from all parts of the nation. From one to four presentations are included for each of twelve topics: (1) Role of the Federal Government in curriculum development; (2) Overview of curriculum development and…

Discusses the changes in American thinking and tolerance between the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the writing of the Constitution. Concludes that the right to pursue happiness allows everyone to personally define happiness. The government that secures that right will leave people alone to do as they wish. (PS)

This paper reviews how the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) will operate regarding different groups of students and schools, examining factors that could delay or dilute its guarantee of educational accountability for the academic achievement of all children. It discusses such issues as: what kinds of tests must be used and when, who must…

Implications for colleges and universities of a proposed new audit guide for Office of Management and the Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 are considered. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is considering issuance of an audit guide that will outline procedures to be followed to comply with the audit requirement in Circular A-110. With…

Based on a research project titled "Institutional Structures for Improving Rural Community Services", this essay addresses the following questions: How can rural communities cope with public services of both limited quantity and quality? How can rural organizations and leadership be developed and maintained to force accountability on government…

This paper examines how the federal accountability mandates affect the design and implementation of schoolwide programs under Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act. It considers the policies adopted by states and districts to meet the accountability mandates, and it examines, at the school level, how the implementation of an…

"No Child Left Behind" (NCLB), the title of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, describes a worthy goal for this nation. Tragically, NCLB is aggravating, not solving, the real problems that cause many children to be left behind. NCLB must be overhauled if the federal government is to make a useful contribution to…

This report represents the culmination of the activities conducted by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans (White House Initiative) over the span of seven years, as of this writing. It also encompasses the work of the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans (the…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) NCLB Redux: House Committee Releases Draft Language on NCLB Reauthorization, Includes Significant New Programs for…

This conference proceedings provides a summary of a conference on the federal role in the financing of postsecondary education, along with nine papers commissioned for the conference. The papers include: (1) "The Federal Role in Financing Higher Education: An Economic Perspective" (Sandy Baum); (2) "Rethinking the Allocation of Pell…