Discusses the actual and potential impact of local shared automated library systems on the development of a comprehensive nationwide bibliographic database (NBD). Shared local automated systems are described; four local shared automated system models are compared; and the current interface between local shared automated library systems and the NBD…

It is argued that voluntary national accreditation for nursing programs may have outlived its initial and vital usefulness and may not currently be serving the best interests of the profession. (MSE)

Uses a description of large-scale collaborative portfolio assessment in the secondary school system in England as a means of seeing the American system and the recent reform efforts in comparative perspective. (RS)

An analysis of national programs for monitoring student achievement in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States finds that "national assessment" promotes a view of "standards" which is narrow, limiting, and definitely not conducive to the emergence of flexible and imaginative educational policies designed to cope…

The curriculum development effort that stemmed from Project Head Start's "Strategy for Spanish-Speaking Children," the evaluation results, and policy implications for national efforts in bilingual education are discussed. (Author/LC)

Despite obvious and fundamental differences, contemporary library issues strikingly familiar to those of the west also beset the Soviet library world--issues that so far have been bridged in only technical apolitical areas. Governmental insistence on the centrality of ideology to library service remains an international stumbling block.…

A product of the National Science Foundation's Program on Appropriate Technology, this paper discusses and presents an agenda for research on questions relating to technological innovation and the objectives of appropriate technology. The concept of appropriate technology is defined, the contrast between appropriate technology and current…

Compares current approaches to decisions involving the preservation of library materials and describes a national project aimed at identifying and preserving important classical studies on microfiche. The use of an editorial board of scholars in this decision making process is evaluated and alternative scholarly involvement models are suggested.…

Data gathered by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) can be used to analyze the relative effects of educational systems in different countries. A simplified example of such analysis utilizes variations among countries, among age cohorts within countries, and between subject matter competencies within…

Several national data sources available to the public can be used to examine institutional impacts of student financial aid and to compare institutional data with national averages. (Author/MSE)

A broad international perspective is taken in this examination of the objectives of national repository planning; general principles on which a plan should be based; selection for national retention; criteria by which alternative national systems should be judged; and the main alternative models assessed against these criteria. (5 references) (CLB)

Compares national higher education quality assessment systems in Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, focusing particularly on the balance between internal and external societal needs in the systems' design and organization. Results indicate that systems are highly adjusted to each country's specific governance strategies, resulting in very…

This discussion of the development of information technology in developing nations is based on case studies of seven Asian countries. The experiences of the countries are compared in terms of the infrastructure development, organizational processes, applications, human resources development, and public awareness. (CLB)

An analysis of national programs for monitoring student achievement in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia found that political considerations in all three countries have inhibited the clarification of program objectives and the implementation of the technology required to generate meaningful information capable of reliable…

Four national educational reform initiatives (national goals for schools, core curriculum, national student examination system, and teacher certification processes) are examined and policy implications discussed. It is argued that, although these initiatives are progressing, they will not succeed without sustained commitment on the parts of the…